Mission: Mixed Justice
by AmericanWizard13
Summary: As worlds begin to fade from Clockwork's sight, his only solution is to send his apprentices in hopes to uncover what is happening. At the same time, the Team is still adjusting to the aftermath of the Reach invasion. But a new threat is about to strike. The Team must decide to accept the help offered by four strangers or deal with a threat they know nothing about.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

 **This story is a multi-crossover between Young Justice, Danny Phantom, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Avatar: the Legend of Korra, and the Legend trilogy. Information correlating with these fandoms are as followed:**

 **YOUNG JUSTICE: the timeline for this fandom takes place around three months after the Season 2 finale. The whole story is like a Season 3, except plugging in characters (even if three are OCs) into the plot. Now, I know most like Wally (I mean, who doesn't?), but I am a girl who sticks to canon. There is only a few times I stray from canon and that's if I hate it. However much I hate Wally's death, I am not changing it, so sorry, not sorry.**

 **DANNY PHANTOM: this is more revolving around Danielle. I always thought of Danielle being created around the time that Danny was fifteen and I'm pretty sure somewhere in the show, it's mentioned that Danielle's around the age of twelve when she's created. So that's a three year time gape. In this story, Danielle's fifteen, making Danny eighteen. Along with that, I always figured as the show went on, the time between episodes that would pass increased because seeing Danny fight ghosts every single day (especially if it's the Box Ghost and Skulker) would get boring. So the big events would pop up. On top of all of this, Phantom Planet has not happened but Danny and Sam are dating (even if it's only mentioned some time in the story and nothing is actually shown).**

 **PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: this pertains to an OC of mine. A year has passed since the second Giant War. If I do mention the seven, Leo might not be mentioned because I don't know if the camps know he's alive or not (I do own the Trials of Apollo but have not read it yet and as soon as I do, I might begin to mention Leo more because let's face it, he's an awesome character).**

 **AVATAR: THE LEGEND OF KORRA: this pertains to an OC. Where the show is at the time, it's right after Season 3, so the very beginning of the three year gap between Season 3 and Season 4.**

 **LEGEND TRILOGY: this pertains to an OC. Basically, the story hasn't started yet, but I like the dystopian society thing, and I felt that Legend deserved a little love. Maybe if I make another story of these apprentices of Clockwork, I'll have the events of Legend start to take place then. But we'll just have to see about that.**

 **Anything else will be mentioned sometime in the story, so don't worry.**

 **DISCLAIMER: There is no way in hell I own Young Justice (because it would still be going), Danny Phantom (that, too, would still be going or end amazingly outside of Phantom Planet), Percy Jackson and the Olympians (no way I own this piece of artwork), Avatar: the Legend of Korra (seriously, I could do anything as beautiful as this show), or the Legend trilogy (I may write, but I am definitely not that good yet).**

* * *

 **ONE**

 **A Mission to an Unclear World**

The swirling green screen stopped at an image most disturbing.

Or a lack thereof.

Clockwork frowned deeply, the black lightning-shaped scar seeming to stretch. His red eyes glowed brightly as he swept his scepter with a stopwatch at the end at the screen again, wielding nothing but the swirling green screen yet again. Not even an image of the simplest thing to do with this world showed. It was disturbing and highly unlikely.

He needed to know what was happening. He needed to make things stream in the best route.

But he couldn't do anything when he was blind to the time stream. Sometime soon, the Observants would interrupt him and ask him why the time stream was so clouded. His face crinkled as he floated over to a different viewing screen and swept his gloved hand over it. The screen swam and shifted until it revealed one of his apprentices. He had four and all did missions for him when he could not mess with the time stream. But they could and knew what he always strived for.

This one was Caspar Braddock and he was sleeping in an abandoned apartment with his body curled around his bag, clutching onto it for dear life. But Clockwork didn't focus entirely on the image, but more on the edges of it. They were sharp and clear. Just like any image should be or most ended up being.

Waving a hand over the screen again, another of his apprentices showed up. Michi Yamauchi was training yet again, and Clockwork felt a small twinge of sorrow for his apprentice. But the edges around his were clear and sharp.

With another wave, Nevidebla Good was revealed. Almost. Clockwork could make her out training with a sword against one of her half-siblings, but it was just barely. Her whole world was on the verge of the same indiscernible swirling the world Clockwork was trying to see was. That was not good and Clockwork didn't want to lose sight of one of his apprentices like this.

One last wave of his hands exposed Danielle Fenton curled up in a tree, staring up at the cloudy sky above her. She was using her bag as a pillow. Only the barest edges were starting to haze and Clockwork didn't like that.

The dimension he was trying to look into was always unclear. Many things could happen and it was known for accidentally creating new worlds once in a while. But Danielle's and Nevidebla's were usually stuck in a clear opening, though Nevidebla's had been known to blur and stay blurred for years until it settled once again. Caspar's blurred erratically before calming down for decades to come and Michi's sometimes clouded at moments before popping back into clarity. For two of his apprentices' worlds to start to cloud when they weren't known for doing so, it unnerved Clockwork.

He did not like these implications. It was rare worlds started to blur around the same time. Usually it was right after one world blurred, did another do the same. For two—and nearing three as Clockwork kept watching as the haze crept farther into Danielle's world—to begin the process meant they were forcibly becoming linked. Or, at less than one percent chance, it was just a mere coincidence that two—nearing three as the haze kept growing—were blurring and clouding at the same time.

His apprentices had to intervene. Two of their worlds were in danger or being used to enact danger on another world.

Clockwork reached a hand to his belt were a clock dangled from a chain attached to it. Without fumbling to find the button, Clockwork pressed down on the top. He saw in the image of Danielle that was increasing in haziness pull out a watch from her pocket as it glowed blue. Clockwork watched as his first ever apprentice grinned as the clock expanded into a portal. Turning from the screen, he saw four portals open and out stepped his four apprentices.

Danielle was wearing red jeans, a blue hoodie, a red beanie, and blue sneakers. Her backpack was slung onto one shoulder and her mouth was grinning at Clockwork before moving down the line to flash her friends and fellow teammates a dazzling smile. She was pale-skinned in her human form with black hair pulled back into a low ponytail with bangs getting into one of her sky blue eyes. The fifteen-year-old girl was slim but well-muscled, though her clothes hid the fact with how baggie they were. She always exuberated a sense of warmth, openness, and liveliness anytime she was in the Tower, especially with her teammates in it.

Next was Michi in his simple cotton grey pants, a darker grey tunic, and black boots. Or boot. The lower half of his left leg—just below the knee—was replaced by a metal contraption. Leather straps and buckles wrapped around his left thigh to keep it in place. He was dark-skinned with unruly dark brown hair hanging shaggily around his face and cut almost haphazardly like he had gotten ahold of a knife. His steel grey eyes seemed to lighten at the sight of his friends, something Clockwork prided himself in because he had personally invited Michi to join and told him he would not regret it. And the young bender never had since the day he met his friends.

Caspar soon followed after Michi, looking worse for wear. Clockwork always felt sorry for him, living in a dystopian society that half of his population in his country were blind to. He lived on the streets and it was hard to hide himself with his bright red hair. The more iconic thing about Caspar was that he had managed to salvage a true American army jacket and wore it as much as possible to spite the government of his world. Even in the dead of summer, he wore it, leaving his already pale skin a sickly white from wearing it so much. He was scrawny with little muscle and was more skin and bones than fat. His piercing green eyes had seen much, just like Michi, but lightened any time he was here. His pants were black and made with pockets to hold many things. Clockwork noticed he was wearing a simple black shirt with a red jacket over it and underneath the army jacket. Then again, it was winter in their worlds though some didn't feel it right away with their activities or biology.

The last was Nevidebla and despite it being winter, her grey hoodie was tied around her waist and her orange camp shirt was drenched in sweat. She was breathing heavily as her warm hazel eyes settled briefly on each of her friends, glowing every time she saw one of them. Her skin was tanned and covered in white scars from constant battles for her life. For once, her abundance of platinum curls was pulled back into a half bun with the rest descending down her back to rest near her hips. There was a leather necklace containing six clay beads on it and a black marking on her right forearm of a winged shoe, SPQR underneath it, and one line marking underneath that. Clockwork always decided it was thanks to Nevidebla the team hadn't descended into a dark place. Despite the girl battling in two wars (one when she was thirteen and the other when she was fourteen), she had always popped back into place first. And her constant bout of coming back from mourning and battles for her life, she knew how to get her friends and teammates to come back even faster than herself at times.

"Hey Stopwatch," Nevidebla said and Clockwork smirked. Only she was brash enough to call him a nickname and soon enough, all of them had followed, Caspar surprisingly following her example quickly enough. "Whatcha need?"

"I need to send you four on a mission immediately," Clockwork said and all of them stiffened. Usually they had time to prepare for a mission. It was rare—basically never happening—that they were sent to a world without files upon files to study before heading off.

"Uh, Clocky," Danielle said, drawing the time ghost's attention to her. "We do need information on the world."

"Nevidebla and Caspar know plenty," Clockwork sighed, looking at the two teammates who exchanged glances. "But I will still prepare a small packet for you."

"So ... this is a world that I more than likely read about considering I seem to remember everything I read but nor heard or watched," Nevidebla began, looking thoughtful. "But that doesn't really narrow it."

"It does for me," Caspar said, looking over at Clockwork. "It's the DC universe, right?"

"Oh yeah, I was able to convince Dad to do inter-dimensional deliveries of some of my comics for you!" Nevidebla exclaimed, snapping her fingers, hazel eyes twinkling now.

"And you didn't give us any?" Danielle snarked.

"You're a Marvel fan. I'm a go-between," Nevidebla answered with a wave of her hand. "Besides, you can invade your cousin's room and read all his comics."

Clockwork smirked at it all.

"What about me?" Michi asked.

"Your dimension was too far for Dad to deliver," Nevidebla answered with a shrug. "Dad says there's a spectrum to the worlds and how they are ordered. Your world is towards the balanced and clear-cut. Mine and Caspar's are closer to the world of dystopia or could-easily-descend-into-an-apocalypse-but-for-the-most-part-is-kind-of-peaceful. Our worlds are closer together meaning it's easier for Dad to deliver. But if I was to deliver to your world, I'd have to catch Dad when he isn't busy, but he always is. Even the gods do inter-dimensional mail more than one would think. Then there are the demigods in my world. But Dad isn't just the god of messengers. He's also the god of thieves, astrology, astronomy, language, writing, gymnasiums, athletic contests, flocks, travelers, hospitality, roads, and trade. He's a busy man and I don't want to pull the daughter card or anything. He has plenty of children, too."

"Is that true?" Michi asked, looking over at the blue-skinned time ghost.

"It is," Clockwork said with a nod. "The DC universe—as Caspar has put it—has been known to cause new worlds sporadically. It is one of the most unstable."

"Meaning it's at the end of mine and Caspar's part of the worlds," Nevidebla extended and Clockwork nodded. Only she had the gall to interrupt the time ghost. But then again, Clockwork mused, all demigods seemed to have plenty of gall and brashness to them. "But it has a subcategory where the new worlds are and are then rearranged in the most stable and balanced to the most chaotic and unstable."

"Exactly," Clockwork said, smiling before it was gone, looking back at the swirling mess. "But I cannot seem to see this world anymore. The time stream has been cut off from my field of vision."

"That's ... not good," Caspar said.

"No shit, Sherlock," Nevidebla responded.

"I have a feeling that was a reference to something, but I don't understand," Caspar sighed.

"I'll send one of those books to you, and don't worry, I'll make sure it's in English," Nevidebla laughed.

Clockwork sighed. Sometimes Caspar and Nevidebla's banter—or to some extension, arguing—was both amusing and annoying. In this situation, it was annoying.

"But that is not the worse," Clockwork said, drawing all his apprentices' eyes on him. "Nevidebla's and Danielle's worlds are slowly clouding at the same time that this world is."

"That's worse," Michi whispered. Everyone else nodded, no quip response from either sharp-tongue girls or snippy boy.

"Yes. I fear they might be endangering their worlds _or_ their worlds are being used to endanger this world," Clockwork said. "The only way I can assure the answers is to send you four there."

"Anything you need us to grab before we leave?" Danielle asked, her voice coming out steely and resolved. She had always taken on the role of leader rather well, Clockwork mused.

"Michi, you will need to pack modern clothes and change into a pair before you leave," Clockwork said, working from the easiest to the least. "Wear the boots Caspar made to cover your prosthetic. It is a world of heroes and villains and a villain will think you just a little more weak if they know you are an amputee. You'll be targeted faster and I would rather like to prevent more incidents to happen to you."

"Yes, Clockwork," Michi nodded his head.

"Caspar, I want you to pack any gadgets you have that are complete or are close enough to completion," Clockwork said, looking at his redheaded apprentice. "Even the simplest thing that is completed could be useful."

"Yes, Clockwork," Caspar said, voice sounding firm as he nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets as if thinking deeply about what incomplete gadgets could work.

"Danielle, I do not know if ghosts will come to this world, but I do not want all four of you under prepared. Go see Daniel and ask for wrist rays, ecto-guns, and thermoses. If he has anything else that he believes to be important, take at least four of it if he has it," Clockwork said and Danielle nodded seriously. "Maybe even ask for copies of the inventions you take with you. If we cannot fix what is about to happen, I would rather leave this world more prepared than anything else."

"Yes, Clockwork," Danielle said, nodding her head as her eyes, momentarily, flashed green before they returned to their sky blue.

"Nevidebla," Clockwork began, looking at the blonde girl. "I need you to gather certain weapons made of certain items." He could tell Nevidebla was nervous immediately at that. "Gather all your weapons: Celestial bronze, Imperial gold, and silver. Acquire a bow with quivers of Celestial bronze and silver arrows. Acquire extra knives of each for your friends encase they will need it. Along with sheets or chunks of aforementioned metals for Michi."

"Yes, Clockwork," Nevidebla said, nodding her head curtly, her hazel eyes turning to stone. He had seen those eyes before when he had watched his screens during the wars she had fought. It was a resolve to fight to the death and not give up. He had always known it was more prominent in the girl, but she rarely showed it except in moments like this.

"Go back to your worlds and prepare. Except for you, Michi. All your modern clothes are here," Clockwork ordered. They all nodded at once. Danielle, Nevidebla, and Caspar disappearing into their blue portals while Michi traveled to the trapdoor in the viewing room before descending down the winding staircase.

Clockwork hoped he would be able to prepare them enough for what was coming.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**

 **Okay, I admittedly messed something up with the Young Justice timeline. I just realized it before I was going to post this. I wanted the story to take place in winter, but the Season 2 finale happened in July. A three month timespan from there would leave the timeline in October. So, it's a five months since the Season 2 finale now, not three. Sorry, my fault.**

 **Another thing, updates are sporadic. The only reason I'm updating after two days is because I'm somewhat excited for this story and I'm nearing the completion of chapter four on Word. Another is because I'm bored. I don't care if it's the Fourth of July, I'm bored because fireworks usually don't start until night time (though I have been hearing fireworks).**

 **TWO**

 **Jumbled Preparations**

Caspar appeared in the abandoned apartment he had declared his own for two months. He moved a floorboard to expose all his belongings that he had put there before he went off to meet with Clockwork. Pulling the bag out, Caspar checked everything over. The goggles, his tool belt, the holographic tablet he had snatched and supped up, more random gadgets, and finally his incomplete creations. He tossed those that were too complex or needed more parts or ones he didn't know he could find the parts he needed in this new world. That left him with five he could possibly complete and with new technology in this world, who knows what Caspar could really accomplish.

He moved onto his possessions. Extra pants, a few shirts, another jacket, the knit hat he wore to cover his hair during the colder seasons, and a picture of his family. They had all been killed from some plague a long time ago, right after he had to take the tests. Caspar clenched his fists. Maybe if he was smarter or more agile or just _better_ his family could have gotten out of the shithole of a neighborhood by his income. But he wasn't smart enough or agile enough or better enough to help his family out.

And they had died because they didn't have enough money to get the vaccines to fight the plague.

Shuddering the thoughts from his body, Caspar immediately started to dig into the compartment underneath the boards in the apartment some more. There were three comics Nevidebla had sent him via her dad. When he found them, he grinned at them. It might not have been permanent gifts from someone, but just the fact Nevidebla was willing to let him borrow them was enough. The first time they met, they had really gotten off on the wrong foot (they still kind of did), but it was after some mission to a world full of fire (Danielle hated it there), that they really developed their arguing partnership into friendship. And that was when the comics started to arrive.

And she had always given him Batman comics after he had given her a note commenting on him liking Batman the best.

(Even if they would send notes back and forth now with the comics about who was better: the Flash or Batman.)

He put them in his bag gently and took one more sweep around the room. There was nothing else to grab. The money here wouldn't work anywhere else and it could help someone if they stumbled upon his stash. The incomplete gadgets wouldn't do anything but either explode or create sparks. Someone on his level or higher might be able to fix it up or create it into something else entirely. But most would tear it apart and sell it for its parts for some quick dough.

This was all he had and it was so little. He knew they had to carry light, and he was used to it, but he couldn't help but grow somewhat annoyed at his friends. Michi and Nevidebla had homes they could go back to. Of course, neither were really loving homes. Michi had a father that wore him ragged with training exercises and Nevidebla grew up in a foster home that, in her own words, "should be shut down but no one's going to believe us preteens and teens." Danielle didn't really have a family. She was born in an unconventional way, like a test-tube baby kind of way. But she had someone she considered her cousin but even Caspar would argue they may was well be brother and sister with how she talks about him and the few times he's actually met her cousin Danny. But she traveled around the world, just as homeless as he was, and just as lonely until Clockwork came by with his proposition.

Caspar dispelled the thoughts. There was no reason to dwell on them. It wasn't his friends' faults that he was given the bad hand in life. Nor was it their fault that he was in this situation. It was all his and the plague.

And he would carry that burden to his grave.

Caspar pulled out the watch and pressed the button on the side. A blue portal opened and he stepped through instantly.

It was time to save another world.

* * *

Danielle hadn't really needed to use the watch to get to her cousin's home. But it was easier to appear near the home than through the Ghost Portal—while in ghost form—and have a bigger chance of running into his parents at the wrong time. They didn't know she was a clone of their son, and a messed up clone at that. Or that their son was a halfa like her.

Danielle rolled her eyes as memories of three years ago popped up in her mind's eye.

They weren't pleasant memories.

She was created from a string of Danny's DNA, but cloning a halfa was a tiring and a more complicated process than her creator had believed to be. Something had happened and she turned up as a girl. But she was the closest that had ever come to recreating Danny—who had considered her his cousin and so, she considered him her own cousin now. She could still remember the other tries, who had immediately destabilized and became ectoplasmic goop after a fight with her cousin.

Her creator, Vlad Masters aka the archenemy of Danny, had sent her to collect Danny because he needed his mid-morph DNA, which was the moment Danny was between Fenton and Phantom. Vlad had manipulated her into believing it was to stabilize _her_. But the thing was: it wasn't. Not in the slightest. It was for a clone who could easily be the perfect—yet obedient—clone of Danny. When Vlad had asked her to risk her own stabilization by overshadowing Danny (she had seen many clones go by doing such a thing on her cousin), Danielle had refused.

Before, Danny had tried to tell her Vlad didn't see her as a daughter or anything of the like. All she was, in Vlad's eyes, was some imperfection that he could manipulate to gain his goal. And that had made her confused until she saw it with her own eyes what Vlad was really like, and then she became _furious_. She had fought alongside her cousin, destroyed all the cloning equipment and Danny's samples of DNA, before flying off dramatically.

But it didn't end there. About seven months later, Danielle started to destabilize, and quickly. She shivered at the thought of one time waking up and finding her legs were a puddle of ectoplasm. It had taken all her willpower to reform them, and even more to go ghost and fly to Danny's. He had gained a human enemy during the time, and she worked for Vlad whether she knew he was a halfa or not. Danielle believed the Red Huntress—who was also Valerie Gray—didn't know Vlad was a halfa. When Danielle had been captured by Vlad so she could be melted down (she shivered again at the memory), it was the combined effort of Danny and Valerie that saved her. Danny had some invention of his parents that had ultimately stabilized her.

And boy was she happy when that happened.

Danielle looked around the street. There didn't seem to be any damage around the neighborhood the Fentons lived in. The light posts still arched over the street, the bricks had a twinge between old and new as they patch worked the houses, and the street didn't have exceptionally large potholes in it. Barely anyone walked the streets and most tended to avoid the area the Fentons lived. Danielle smiled a little as she approached the Fenton household. It would have looked just like any other building on the street if not for the ops center held up precariously on the top of the building and the neon sign that spelled out Fenton Works and glowed in bright blue, neon green, and a little bit of white. To top off the décor, a huge arrow swooped under the company name and pointed at the door.

Danielle hopped up the steps and rang the doorbell. Two years ago, she'd never dream she'd be able to ring the doorbell so dauntlessly. But when she was fourteen (in body age and somewhat mind age) and visiting Danny—she wanted to discuss the proposition that Clockwork had given her—his parents had come home earlier than planned. It took some shaky lying skills (neither were really excellent at lying), but they found a good enough excuse that Danielle was a friend at school and they had met in Danny's English class because she was smart enough. Despite the shakiness and the über amounts of ums and ers said throughout it all, the Fenton parents easily accepted the lie. Even Jazz, Danny's older redheaded sister, had backed up the lie. (Danielle and Danny had to tell her the circumstances for why she existed that same evening when Jazz had come home earlier than planned.)

Still, being able to ring the doorbell anytime was not what it was cracked up to be. Danielle could hear the noise of something very close to a stampeding rhinoceros on the other side of the door screaming "Ghost!" and leapt to the side just as the door flew open. The barrel of some huge gun was pointed where Danielle once stood and a huge hand pulled back on the trigger, shooting out green goo onto the sidewalk. Danielle knew it was harmless to humans—it would only cause irritation at the mere thought that they were covered—but for her status of a halfa, it would definitely harm her, even if it was just slightly while she was in human form.

Danielle, breathing heavily and trying to decrease her flow of adrenaline, looked over at Jack Fenton standing in the doorway. He was grinning broadly, as if nearly covering Danielle with goop was an everyday thing. And it basically was, except for the fact he literally shot at just about anyone who rang the doorbell or knocked on the door. Danielle had to crane her neck back to take in Jack Fenton. He was a massive man—both in height and in width—who wore an orange jumpsuit with a black collar, boots, and gloves. His black hair was graying on the sides and his blue eyes were more cobalt than Danny's (and Danielle's) typical sky blue.

"Ah, Dani!" Jack exclaimed happily, pulling the poor fifteen-year-old girl into the Fenton household readily. "Mads! Dani's here!"

"No, Danny's in his room!" Maddie Fenton yelled back from the kitchen. Danielle could just make out her turquoise jumpsuited figure in the kitchen. The girl grew nervous. Maddie wasn't known for her cooking skills. Most things cooked in the Fenton house came to life unless one of the kids cooked. Danielle had actually witnessed numerous times food coming to life under this roof from rebellious wieners to savage cornflakes to revolutionary orange slices.

"It's me, Elle," Danielle laughed. She always went by Elle underneath the Fenton household to avoid confusion between her and Danny. Even if Danielle was slightly prettier than Daniel, she still preferred a nickname. She guessed it was just hereditary on why she hated her full name.

Maddie peeked her head around the corner revealing her auburn hair cut into a bob and her purple eyes sparkling. The hood to her turquoise jumpsuit was down along with her goggles. Her jumpsuit consisted of black gloves, black boots, and a black belt. When her eyes landed on Danielle, she grinned widely.

"Are you going to stay for dinner, dear?" Maddie asked. Danielle smiled the best she could.

"Sorry, Mrs. F, but I can only stop by to ask Danny about something for my Astronomy homework," Danielle lied, happy they had a precursor lie prepared and she had practiced it numerous times in the mirror. It was one of the few things the Fenton parents still believed their son was amazing at, and he was. But so was Danielle. It was the only excuse they could come up with that would mean Danielle could show up and ask for homework help, especially since school was still in session as winter settled in more.

"He's in his room, Elle," Maddie said, motioning to the stairs near the front door. Danielle thanked her quickly and scaled the steps as fast as she could. She didn't even bother knocking on Danny's door. There was a ten percent chance her cousin would be in his room and not on patrol or fighting a ghost.

Luck was on her side when she caught sight of her cousin dozing at his desk.

His hair was black and as messy as ever. He was pale; paler than Danielle, but she did see more sunlight than her cousin with her constant traveling. Danielle could see the bags beneath his eyes and was mildly worried about what she would see if his eyes opened to reveal his tired sky blue eyes. His jeans were old and worn, and just a tad too big on his thin frame. The shirt he wore was his iconic one: white with a red oval in the middle and the collar and sleeves rimmed with the same shade of red. Danny had kicked his red sneakers off to expose his white socks.

Danielle didn't want to wake him—she understood how little sleep her cousin got—but this was of the utmost importance.

"Danny," Danielle whispered, shaking her cousin's shoulder and whispering softly. "Danny, I need you to wake up."

No response.

"Ghost," Danielle deadpanned and her cousin shot up immediately, looking around frantically as his sky blue eyes flashed a dangerous toxic green.

"Where?" Danny asked quickly.

"Standing next to you," Danielle responded, making Danny look over at her.

"Dani!" Danny exclaimed, wrapping his cousin in a hug. "It's been seven months."

"Yeah, and I wish this was on better circumstances," Danielle responded, hugging her cousin back. As he pulled away, she knew he noticed her grave face.

"What's wrong?"

"Clockwork's sending us on a mission that isn't looking so hot."

"Like?"

"We're not getting information right off the bat. There are no files to study. He might give us quickly written ones about the timeline that has led up to the point where this world has gone fuzzy. He can't see it at all, Danny. Along with that, we have to depend on the knowledge Nevi knows since it's basically the DC universe—which you know we aren't partial to—but unlike most worlds, this world creates sub-worlds and we don't know if we're going to a sub-world or the actual world. And to top it all off, Nevi's world is going fuzzy and ours is getting hazy. Usually, worlds don't do this at the same time. It's rare, but Clockwork fears it interlinks with the world he's sending us to. That's why he sent me back here to gather some of your parents' inventions against ghosts encase a ghost does show up while we are there. And if it's irreversible—whatever this is—he wants some prints of inventions so we can leave behind when everything is settled.'

There was a beat of silence as the two cousins stared at each other.

"Did he suggest anything helpful?"

"Ecto-guns, wrist rays, and thermoses. If there's anything else you suggest, I'll need at least four of each if you can spare and a copy of the blueprint."

"Okay, let's get down to the lab."

Danielle nodded to her cousin as both turned intangible and descended through the floor. One look into the kitchen—just to check what Jack and Maddie were doing—revealed the Fenton parents discussing something about some invention as they worked on dinner. The cousins turned their attention to the basement and floated down to the floor, returning back to tangibility. Danny immediately walked to the Fenton Weapons Vault and opened it up with a scan from his hand. Danielle stood outside of the secure vault as Danny dug around.

"Ecto-guns, wrist rays, and thermoses are easy enough to get ahold of and build," Danny said, pulling out said weapons and placing them into a duffel bag. "I might be only able to give you so much, though, Dani. Some of these inventions don't come with four or more."

"At the moment, Danny, I'll take anything. I need to keep my friends and the people of this world safe," Danielle said, knowing her hero complex was showing. Danny smirked over at her. "And I know it's showing, cuz, but you would do the same."

Danny shut his mouth before turning back to the stock pile of gear.

"Maybe some Ghost Gauntlets. Though, I'd be very careful of these, Dani. If someone ripped your ghost-half from your human-half, it could lead to catastrophe," Danny said. Danielle could only nod, only hearing a small and summarized tale from Clockwork when she had pointed to a battered Fenton Thermos under his care back at the Tower.

"Then maybe not that. We are going to a world with heroes and villains. If that did fall into the wrong hands, it could lead to something we don't need to start," Danielle said. Danny nodded and held up a crescent-shaped gun.

"The Ghost Peeler should do well. It'll reveal a ghost in disguise and harm it," Danny said, handing two to Danielle. "I can only get you two, though. We only have three and my parents will definitely notice if all three are gone. But I can easily say that I broke one and I don't know what happened to the other."

"Thanks, Danny," Danielle said, stowing the guns away in the duffel bag.

"The line on the Fenton Ghost Fisher should do well, too," Danny said, pulling out two spools of the slightly glowing material. "If you need to tie a ghost up real quick, you can use this. They can't phase through it."

It went into the bag.

"I want to give you a Ghost Shield, but that can't happen. We only have one more. You'll have to live with the copy of the blueprint. Next is the Fenton Phones. They work as ghost noise filters as well as walkie talkie systems. It's best to have these—and I can give you eight of them—because this world won't be used to Fenton tech. Even now, I think the only people who managed to hack Fenton Works are Tuck and Vlad."

Danielle cringed at the name as the Fenton Phones went into the bag.

"The Specter Deflector is the best thing I can give you," Danny said, placing five into the bag. "It still needs configuring to cancel out a ghost's ectoplasmic signature, but you can still put it on your friends. They can activate it whenever they want—Tucker at least added that feature. So it can always be on them, but unless they activate it, you can still touch them."

"That's ... nice to hear," Danielle answered honestly with a heavy sigh.

"Trust me, it was for me too," Danny said, holding one up and Danielle noticed it was sleeker. "Tucker even made it sleeker so you can hide it in a waistband of jeans and pants. So even if your friend Michi, who isn't as advanced in the tech field as most worlds, can get away with wearing this all the time."

"Good," Danielle said, grinning widely.

"I'd also advice the Jack o' Nine Tails," Danny said, holding up the invention. "Might want to design it without my dad"s face on it, but it does its job insanely well. Jazz always go for this when she can."

Danielle nodded as four were placed in her bag. If Jazz liked to use it, it had to be good. Then Danny went to a filing cabinet and opened it before walking to a printer. Danielle watched as blueprints were scanned and printed off for her.

"I added the Fenton Booo-merang in the blueprints encase your friends create one to track you down if anything were to happen to you," Danny said as he moved to his parents notes and copied off some pages. "These are formulas to create an anti-intangible residue for weapons and such. As long as it's rubbed on or blended in with a weapon, the ghost will receive harm from such a thing. It's kind of barbaric, but it helped with the Fenton Ghost Fisher, so it will probably help you now. Just be warned, though, it glows."

Danielle nodded as Danny rolled the blueprints up, placing them in a cylinder, along with the notes. The cylinder went into the bag and Danielle hefted the bag up. It would have been excruciatingly heavy if it was not for ghost strength. Grinning at Danny, Danielle wrapped her arms around her cousin.

"Thank you," Danielle said as she pulled away from her hug.

"You know I'll always help you, Dani," Danny responded.

"I know, and I got to go," Danielle sighed, giving her cousin one last hug. "Tell Jazz where I went, will you? Don't need her worrying her to the brink of insanity."

Danny laughed as they hugged again. Danielle left the household quickly, calling out goodbyes to the Fenton parents as she left. Once out on the street, she ducked into an alley and pulled out her watch. Pressing a button, a portal appeared and Danielle walked through it.

* * *

Nevidebla landed in the middle of the Hermes Cabin, surrounded by her siblings.

None of them reacted to the blue light show from the portal, but they all reacted when Nevidebla leapt at her bunk. It was nearly feral how fast Nevidebla shoved all her clothes into the bag, weapons either being hidden on her body or put in her bag, and her assortment of important things (lock picks, a deck of cards, ambrosia, a canteen of nectar, a small photo album, a bag of drachmas, and a wad of regular money). But everyone grew worried when Nevidebla grabbed yet _another_ bag from one of their bunks.

"Whoa, Nevi, what's going on?" Travis, one of the senior counselors and one of Nevi's older half-brothers, asked, intervening in letting the blonde girl leave just yet.

"Emergency. Gotta split," Nevi said, yanking her arm out of Travis's grip and running to the weapons shed. She didn't bother to greet the two people in the shed as she went straight to the bows and arrows. Nevi grabbed two quivers of Celestial bronze arrows and silver arrows. With one look around, just encase, Nevi understood why Clockwork said she shouldn't grab Imperial gold arrows. There weren't any in the shed at the moment. Nevi stopped for a moment on the bows, testing them out until she found the best one. It paid to have friends in the Apollo Cabin and talking to some of the Hunters of Artemis, even if she was never going to join the immortal maidens.

Nevi didn't take notice of the two people staring at her as she went to the knives, collecting three Celestial bronze, three silver (she was lucky they even had one, yet alone thirteen to choose from), and three Imperial gold. It wasn't until she was leaving to go bug the Hephaestus children down at the Forge was she stopped by Travis and the people in the shed (who happened to be one of the Heroes of Olympus, Piper McLean daughter of Aphrodite and counselor of Cabin 10, and what was obviously a new kid at camp what with the nervous way they hunched their shoulders).

"Nevi, what's going on?" Travis asked again, blocking her way of escape. Well, the more obvious way of escaping. Children of Hermes had a special gift in the art of escape considering they were little thieves, and thieves had to have routes in and out of a place. Entrance and exit of just about anything were top priority for Hermes's kids.

"Three worlds are going fuzzy—well, ones more hazy, but same difference. And one of those fuzzy worlds is ours. Clockwork's sending us to the world that caused this all, but it gets kinda sketchy after that," Nevi explained in a rush, walking to the exit and grabbing Travis's arm. Her half-brother obviously wasn't going to just let her off the hook, so she might as well abduct him momentarily and explain the situation. "Clockwork sent me back to collect my things and certain weapons. We don't know what's going on and he wants us prepared encase something—more than likely a monster—from this world appears in the other."

"And where are we going now?" Travis asked as Nevi walked hurriedly while dragging him.

"The Forge. I need slabs of Celestial bronze, Imperial gold, and silver for Michi," Nevi explained as they entered the Forge that was hotter than a sauna with inventions all over the place. It was hectic. All the Hephaestus children ran around to complete inventions or finish up weapons. Nevi dropped Travis's arm as she walked over to Nyssa. "Yo, Nyssa, I need some metal."

"Whatcha need?" Nyssa huffed out, pounding away on some metal.

"Slab of Celestial bronze, Imperial gold, and silver. It's important," Nevi rattled off.

"Mission?" Nyssa asked.

"Yeah, and it's a doozy. Besides, the stuff's for Michi so he can bend," Nevi answered.

"Over there," Nyssa said. "Try not to take too big of ones."

"I won't," Nevi responded, walking over and digging through the metal. She found reasonably sized slabs of the metals she needed and put them in her bag. It was starting to get heavy with all the weight, but they needed these weapons.

Travis still stood in the doorway of the Forge, seeming mildly lost and confused. Nevidebla understood why. It had only been a year ago, a month right after the second Giant War, that Clockwork had approached her with the proposition to join his team of apprentices. At first, she was weary. Hearing anything to do with time had sent alarm bells going off in her head. The thought of becoming like Luke—a used pawn and vessel for a time lord—was not something she dreamed of. Sure, she wanted to become a hero, but not the same way as her half-brother. She didn't want to tall so far down that when she came back, it had to be because she killed herself or sacrificed herself like that. Nevidebla knew that if it came to it, she would do it in a heartbeat, but she would rather avoid it as much as possible.

She asked for a trial run instead.

Clockwork granted it.

For three months, she got a feel for it and got used to her teammates. She was happy to not be the leader or the second. It was easier to follow instructions and be the girl who gave out bits of information that could be important. Her knowledge had never extended to technology—that was where Caspar had come into play—but anything else was up for grabs for her to tell them about. Her strange way of memorization had saved their asses numerous times. And when Clockwork had asked her, when the trial period was up, what she wanted to do, Nevidebla had readily said she would like to stay on the team. She knew the smirk Clockwork had given her meant he knew she was saying yes but was just asking the question as was usually customary for such a thing.

Everyone at both camps had been nervous when they found out. She was one of the few Greek campers who were part of the exchange program the Greeks and Romans had set up. Her first half of the summer was spent at Camp Jupiter while the second half was spent at Camp Half-Blood. And during her breaks during school, she could choose which one she stayed at and Nevidebla made sure to split her vacation days evenly between the two.

But once the counselors and praetors saw how much she seemed to burst from her shell and bring others out in the process with her wild tales, they decided it was okay. The team had pulled her away from her depressive thoughts of how many of her half-siblings had died in the wars; how many of her friends had been killed by a monster; how many had fallen from bridges during the second Titan War; how many had choked on their blood as they bleed out in front of her. Nevidebla knew that Clockwork had planned for her to be on the team. He knew her finally getting past something as cruel as two wars nearly back-to-back would help anyone she met along the way. Nevidebla never would have thought that Hermes children had such a strong impact, but then she realized, pranking was important to some degree. Without pranks to liven things up once in a while, things just got ... depressive too fast. With the hyperactive Hermes Cabin back in play, everyone seemed to loosen up and get past most of the pain. There still was pain, but just not as much now.

"Hey, Travis?" Nevidebla said as she grabbed Travis's arm and they began walking back to the rectangle of cabins. Some were still in the process of being built and Nevidebla could just make out the shapes of Cyclopes sent by Poseidon moving stones as two figures oversaw the procedure. She didn't need to be over there to know it was another two of the seven Heroes of Olympus: Annabeth Chase and Jason Grace.

"Yeah," Travis said, his voice sounding a little dull. Nevidebla knew why. Usually her siblings looked forward to her talking about the information she read from a bucket-load of files given to her by Clockwork. But they also had time to say goodbye just encase something happened.

"Tell the others I'm thinking about them, will you?" Nevidebla asked and Travis nodded, throwing an arm around Nevidebla's shoulders.

"Naturally, sis," Travis answered, squeezing her shoulders. "I'll even tell Connor you like me more than him."

Nevidebla laughed at that. Travis and Connor Stoll were full flesh-and-blood brothers, children of Hermes, and the co-counselors of the Hermes Cabin. And they tended to fight to see who can get as many siblings on their side. The one with more, wins something.

"I'm going to miss all the pranks," Nevidebla sighed wistfully. "I even had one planned for Nico."

"You have a death wish?" Travis asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, to see him splattered with pink dye," Nevidebla answered, smirking as Travis guffawed. They approached the entrance to the Hermes Cabin. "I'll see you again, I promise."

With those words, Nevidebla gave her older brother a hug as tightly as she could before pulling away, pressing a button her clock, and entering the portal that appeared.

* * *

Michi stood in his room at Clockwork's Tower.

Sometimes the team stayed in the rooms before a mission would commence if Clockwork knew it would only take a few days to get all the information in their heads. Today it was being used as Michi's changing room as he peeled his clothes off and pulled the more modern-day ones of the world they would be going to. A pair of jeans, a white shirt, and a black jacket. He found the boots Caspar had made him and put them on, still mystified at how well Caspar could make a pair of shoes for him that made him seem like he was not missing half his leg.

He rolled his shoulders as he shoved the rest of his clothes in it. Michi grabbed the metal bracelet cuffs and bended them onto his wrists. It was a way to make sure that metal was always on him outside of his prosthetic. Grabbing some more chunks and putting them into his jacket's pockets, Michi was ready. It was strange, he decided, how his friends needed twenty minutes to possibly hours to get ready for a mission while he only needed minutes. He never brought along anything personal with him on missions. The most personal thing he could have thought of was his parents, but he didn't want to think about them. His mom left right after he was born, leaving him to a man who drilled him to be a perfect little weapon. Michi never understood until as of late when he met General Kuvira of the Military of the Earth Empire.

He understood her motivations. They were good ones. Even Michi would admit he wanted to restore the Earth Kingdom to its former glory. But ... to get rid of Republic City? That was taking it too far in Michi's eyes. It was a place where anyone of any background can go and not feel too judged. Michi actually liked going and visiting there.

But his father stood on the side of Kuvira and made it known that Michi _would_ be fighting on her side when she made her move. Michi didn't know when. He thinks it will be a while. Now was not a time to go and do anything. It was just after Avatar Korra was injured and went off the map. Michi didn't know it all, but Kuvira knew enough and said they would do small things to begin with before going into the bigger plans.

Michi didn't like the look in Kuvira's green eyes when she spoke.

Shaking his head to expel the thoughts, Michi walked out of the room. There was no reason to think about Kuvira. A world was more endangered than his own.

He made it to the viewing room in time to see Caspar going over a packet. It was different from the files were everything was in depth. The flimsy white packet of paper was so off-putting that Michi was nervous to even touch it.

"Hey," Michi said, standing next to Caspar, making his redheaded friend jump. Michi smirked at that.

"Damn you," Caspar mumbled, focusing his gaze back on the packet.

"What's it looking like?" Michi asked.

"Very messed up," Caspar sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Nevi might have read _some_ of the comics focusing on Young Justice but I was never able to get to it. I don't know what's right and what's wrong."

"What's it say?" Michi asked as a portal opened and out stepped Danielle. She walked over to the two boys.

"Is that it?" Danielle asked, sounding hopeful that there was more somewhere. Michi didn't blame her. They were so used to being over prepared with truckloads of files that this wasn't even funny.

"Yeah," Caspar said, flipping through the packet again, glowering down at it. "Clocky handed it to me when I arrived, saying it was important we knew the info on here. But it's so little I don't know what's normal and what isn't."

"What d'you mean?" Danielle asked.

"The DC universe does have Young Justice, but I've never gotten ahold of the comics. Nevi probably has," Caspar explained, waving the pack around.

"I probably have what?" Nevidebla asked, appearing from her own portal and walking over. "Oh, is that it?"

Even Nevidebla, the one known for brash ideas and enough gall to do just about anything, seemed nervous at the minimal size.

"Yeah," Caspar sighed, handing it over. Michi watched as the English words shifted into the symbols of Ancient Greek. "What do you know and what's the packet say?"

"This ... this is way different from the Young Justice I know," Nevidebla whispered, flipping through it rapidly. "The founding members are different. The one I'm used to reading about had Robin, but it was Tim Drake not Dick Grayson, Kid Flash, but he was Bart Allen not Wally West, and the Superboy thing is the same. ... Okay, guys, I really can't go into the explaining of how everything is different right now. We got to get going so what do you really need right off the bat?"

Michi had to give Nevidebla credit. She wasn't deterred by the lack of paper as much as they were and knew that going into a rant at the moment of the differences between the Young Justice she had read about and this one was not going to help. Danielle bit her lip before speaking.

"Who were the founding members, original members, and extended members, identities of these superheroes, quick history report, what Young Justice actually is, and what's the closest info we have to when the screen started to swirl?" Danielle ordered. Nevidebla nodded.

"The founding members were Aqualad aka Kaldur'ahm, Robin aka Nightwing aka Richard "Dick" Grayson, Kid Flash aka Wallace "Wally" West, Superboy aka Conner Kent, and Miss Martian aka M'gann M'orzz or Megan Morse," Nevidebla sighed, flipping through the packet. "The original members that expanded in less than a year of its creation were Artemis aka Tigress aka Artemis Crock, Zatanna aka Zatanna Zatara—what is with the lack of creativity in their superhero names?—Rocket aka Raquel Ervin, and Speedy aka Red Arrow aka Roy Harper. Extended—or better called subsequent—members is a doozy, but here we go: Aquagirl aka Tula, Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon, Beast Boy aka Garfield Logan, Blue Beetle aka Jaime Reyes, Bumblebee aka Karen Beecher, Guardian aka Mal Duncan, Lagoon Boy aka La'gaan, Robin aka Tim Drake, Wonder Girl aka Cassie Sandsmark, Impulse aka Kid Flash aka Bart Allen, Speedy aka Arsenal aka Roy Harper, Tempest aka Garth, and Static aka Virgil Hawkins."

Michi blinked. He only heard half those names.

"What?" Caspar asked, voicing the others' thoughts.

"You asked," Nevidebla retorted, sighing heavily. "I told you, it was a doozy."

"Quick history?" Danielle pleaded, rubbing her forehead.

"It was formed by Aqualad, Robin, Kid Flash, and Superboy when Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash broke into Cadmus, ran into Superboy who is the clone of Superman, destroyed Cadmus and brought in Blockbuster in the process, stood up to the League, and formed Young Justice. Miss Martian came in the next day and she's the niece of Martian Manhunter. As things went on, there was a villain organization called the Light that had a plan to use this fragment of Starro and Klarion the Witch Boy's magic to create Starro-Tech to control the League. Young Justice had to defeat the League to overthrow the Light's plans, most even having to fight their own mentors. It happened on January 1st of 2010 for this world.

"Five years later, a new threat came to Earth. It didn't seem so at first, but it started to unravel a while later. The Villains were an alien race known as the Reach. They trick planets they wish to invade by seeming peaceful. Their way of seeming peaceful to Earth was to provide this Reach energy drink that contained a chemical in it that would affect later generations' ability to be stubborn and strong-willed. The Reach sends out scouts, known as blue beetles, to the planets. One of the heroes actually has one of these. Usually, the beetles take over the host but this one didn't, meaning it had a chance to ... try and corporate with its host unlike most. Later on, the beetle was restarted to take over the host. And this thing is fucked up now. Um, okay, apparently Impulse came from the future to stop Blue Beetle from being put on—as he calls it—mode. He made an excuse about saving his grandfather Barry Allen who is also the Flash (though actually, that was a part of his mission, but he lied about how much he was meant to change) and pretended that the time machine he took to arrive in the past didn't work anymore—and it actually doesn't at all. Long story short, the Reach was apprehended but Wally West died in the process and Bart Allen took up the mantel or Kid Flash. Oh, and Aquagirl is also dead along with the second Robin, Jason Todd."

"Uh," Michi said, gaping at his friend as she kept flipping through the packet. He exchanged looks with Danielle and Caspar who only shrugged.

"Young Justice is a covert ops for young heroes. It's a way to keep the targets off of them for the most part, letting them know what it's like to be a part of a team, and gaining information for the League to use," Nevidebla said, not stopping. "It's been five months since the Reach invasion and everything seems peachy for the most part. Well, it would, if Vandal Savage, leader of the light, and Darkseid, leader of the new gods from Apokolips hadn't seemed to strike a deal. The Apokoliptans use what's referred to as boom tubes to transport themselves from Apokolips to Earth and vice versa. I think those are the things we should find first. It's more than likely the tech from the boom tubes combined with the tech of the Zeta beams that are doing this."

"You got all that from flipping through that?" Michi asked incredulously, pointing to the packet. There was _no way_ Nevidebla was able to do that. That was information worthy of a least a hundred pages, not around the thirty in her hands.

"Yep," Nevidebla said, storing the packet in her backpack. "But we should get going. I can tell you guys later about the heroes, villains, everyone's identities and aliases of the ones I haven't mentioned, and anything else important later."

"She's right," Danielle sighed, walking farther into the viewing room where Clockwork was. "Let's get going. This world isn't going to save itself if it doesn't know how to deal with the consequences of those two dunderheads."

"Technically evil masterminds who are way over their heads," Nevidebla corrected. Danielle shot her a look. "But dunderheads is a good enough term."

"Ready?" Clockwork asked when they approached.

"As we'll ever be in the crash course by Ms. Good," Caspar quipped. Michi could tell his friend thought it was worth it, even when Nevidebla smacked him upside the head.

"Good luck. I do not know where the portal will take you since I cannot see clearly. Danielle, do not power up; Michi, do not bend right away; Nevidebla, do not draw you weapons; Caspar, do not go for a gadget," Clockwork ordered, opening a swirling blue portal with just the tinges of green.

"Yes, Clockwork," the four chorused, stepping into the portal before disappearing. Clockwork floated there for a while, worry creasing his face. He focused his gaze on the screen of the world he sent his apprentices to. It remained a swirling green. Sighing, Clockwork tilted his head down as his hand clenched around his scepter.

"Stay safe."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**

 **I know I haven't done this in my other story, but I decided I would try it here. So I'll respond to Reviews here because I just feel like it.**

 **MrCcoz: First off, thanks for being the first to review my story. It's much appreciated. And I understand the whole Danielle not getting enough love. I had originally thought of using Danny but threw it out immediately. Danielle had always held a soft spot for me because she had so much potential to use in a story, and her background has much to use for weaknesses, fears, and insecurities. And thank you so much for the compliment, I actually skipped around my room when reading that.**

 **I'd also like to apologize for an OOC-ness that characters show. I'll try and make them in character but I guarantee nothing.**

 **Disclaimer: this a site for _fanfiction_ , does it _look_ like I'd own any of this?**

* * *

 **THREE**

 **Surprise Visitors!**

 **December 4, 2016  
13:06 EST  
Somewhere over New York City**

Nightwing sat in one of the chairs of the Bioship.

It had been a while since he had sat down in one of these chairs on a covert ops mission. The memories that came forth at the sensation of the seats and sitting around the open windows were painful. He remembered Wally, his best friend, sitting towards the back so he could easily zip out when they landed. Bart, clad in the Kid Flash uniform, sat in the usual seat Wally always took up. Nightwing might miss his friend, but he knew Bart was doing a good job keeping the Kid Flash legacy alive with his hyperactive self.

He looked over to the woman next to him with blonde hair and a mask to cover her face. Tigress aka Artemis Crock was staring out the window. Nightwing had noticed how readily his friend had thrown herself back into the hero gig. It was like she threw away her civilian life to the side, dedicating her life to being a superhero. And that worried Nightwing. He knew Wally didn't want his girlfriend to just devote her life to being a superhero while sacrificing her civilian life. But he didn't know how to word it correctly to Tigress.

Next to him on his other side was Blue Beetle. Nightwing watched the armored teen mess with a scanner. The domino-masked hero knew the teen didn't need to do it, but knew it was calming the teen's nerves. It had been a while since a covert ops mission had been assigned. The villains were laying low, only coming out for robberies and simple ploys. Something was bound to give and Nightwing bet the flux of energy radiating from New York City was just that.

It had started around two months after the Reach invasion. First, it was small, barely there and didn't appear on their radar until sometime back in October. Then sometime around Halloween, it had spiked quickly, before falling to near invisibility. It had been pushed off as a surge of electricity for the decorations that civilians set up for the holiday. But when the time of Thanksgiving rolled around, the flux of energy skyrocketed and remained a pulsing spot on the graph. It had taken a while, sadly, to get some of the team involved. Nightwing even had to go as far as calling in members of the old team.

Tigress, Superboy, Miss Martian, and him had been part of the old members, the ones who had first put the team into a forward run. They had shoved it into motion through sear will. As years went on, more members joined either by being partners to already established heroes, becoming a hero of their own right but were still young, or stumbling upon something that needed find tuning to understand and use for good. Nightwing wasn't shocked when the new Kid Flash had leapt at the chance to be doing something. Blue Beetle was a mild surprise since Nightwing knew he would rather be home with his family after being trapped in his own mind for months on end while his body was used as a puppet. Robin was of no surprise to Nightwing. Anyone trained under Batman was prepared to leave on a mission at the crack of dawn if need be.

But that was it.

Not even Gar, who lived in the new location of the covert ops group, wanted to come. But then again, Nightwing mused, he was sick with the flu and coughing up mucus left and right with the occasional puking session. Miss Martian hadn't wanted to leave her little brother, but knew someone who could set up a telepathic link for this mission was highly advisable. The villains were known for getting smarter when they made grand appearances. Having something that could not be hacked into but still communicate between teammates was important.

"Landing now," Miss Martian announced from the driver's seat. Nightwing turned his head to give his green-skinned friend a nod. The Bioship landed with ease and the seven heroes stood up and got out from the back as it lowered. Stepping out, Nightwing took in the dreary area. It was near abandonment with the occasional scrawny alley cat scurrying across the way. The area was quiet, too, and so unlike the noise of New York City that Nightwing felt they had entered a different world.

 _Link established. Everyone copy?_

The voice echoed in his head and sounded like Miss Martian's voice.

 _I'm in._

That was Superboy.

 _Let's get this done with._

Tigress was on.

 _Hi._

That was definitely Kid Flash.

 _My scanners are picking up the energy a block over._

Blue Beetle considering the teen was messing with the scanner the armor of his left arm had shifted into.

 _What's the plan?_

That was Robin.

 _We split up. Kid Flash, Robin, check the outer perimeter of this area and when you are done, work your way inwards, and leave no stone unturned. Tigress, Miss Martian, check the area between the outer perimeter and the block Blue Beetle has indicated on his scanners. Superboy, Blue Beetle, with me. We're checking out the energy source._

No one argued. Kid Flash and Robin headed off in one direction, the speedster going as far as to pick up Nightwing's little brother to make the job easier. Tigress and Miss Martian headed out in separate directions. Nightwing didn't worry about them too much. They had so many missions and single jobs that they would be fine. Turning to his partners, the three heroes headed off towards the area Blue Beetle had picked up the energy flux.

"That can't be right, esé."

Nightwing looked back at Blue Beetle. It was still unnerving to see the teen talk to himself, even if he knew why. The Hispanic teen had approached him a month after the Reach invasion and told Nightwing up front that the Scarab on his back talked to him in his mind. It explained all the arguing with himself the teammate had done. But even with the information given to him, Nightwing still couldn't help but stare slightly. Superboy wasn't even unnerved or anything. He just kept walking, only sending an inquiring look back at the armored hero.

 _"¿Cómo es eso posible?"_

Now Nightwing was intrigued by what was going on. It was rare Blue Beetle slipped into Spanish when arguing with the Scarab.

"Okay, _esé_ , I get it. There are other dimensions but _how_ is one getting connected to ours?"

Nightwing stopped along with Superboy. Both older heroes turned to the armored hero questioningly. Said hero seemed to realize what he was saying and gave them sheepish looks.

"The Scarab says the fluxing energy is very close to that of dimensions linking together," Blue Beetle explained, sighing heavily. "He says it should be impossible but it has happened to this dimension before over three thousand years ago. The small amount of connection was easily lost but it was never as high as it is now. He thinks that whatever this is, it's been artificially created so the link will last longer than it should. Maybe, given the fact if we don't stop it, forever."

"What dimension?" Superboy asked gruffly.

"That's just it. The Scarab only knows the signature of the dimension that momentarily connected a long time ago, and it's far from this," Blue Beetle answered, shagging his shoulders. "He doesn't know the danger that could come with this linking."

"But if it's artificially created, meaning someone knows what they are doing and are probably making sure they are connecting to something incredibly dangerous," Nightwing sighed, moving on to the block with the energy flux. "We'll have to precede with caution."

"Do you want me to tell the others by mind-link?" Superboy asked.

"Do so," Nightwing answered as they kept moving. He faintly heard Superboy recounting all that Blue Beetle had told them in the back of his mind as his heart pounded. What would they find when they turned the corner? The reading was high in the surrounding area, so maybe the thing that was causing the energy surge.

He was not expecting a simple platform in the middle of the decrepit street. The three heroes stood near the entrance of the block, staring at the platform. As they stared, light started to shimmer around it, increasing in intensity to the point it was nearing a blinding white. It forced the heroes to look away and when they blinked their eyes rapidly to rid them of the black spots, they noticed something standing on the platform. It was of a giant black dog, nearing the size of a garbage truck. Its eyes glowed red as it growled, frothing droll trailing down its jaws as white teeth gleamed in the faint light. Given by the cloudy New York day.

 _I don't know what that is,_ Blue Beetle thought in the mind link.

 _We'll precede with caution but we cannot allow this thing to reach the populace,_ Nightwing responded, grabbing his escrima sticks. All were quiet as they approached the growling dog-like thing before its red eyes focused on them. With a growl that shook the ground in a two mile radius, it leapt at the heroes.

Blue Beetle immediately shot at it with a plasma cannon—one of the few times he used that feature. The plasma just brushed the dog's flank and merely smoked the furs as it kept coming. Superboy lunged at the creature, hitting with all his worth into the middle of its head. It should have taken it down, but the dog seemed to stumble before resuming the fight with great gusto at the heroes.

 _We need backup._

Nightwing did not want to admit it, but they really did. Even with him fighting as hard as he could with his escrima sticks, even having them shoot electricity into the creature, nothing really seemed to effect it. The fight was taking it out of Nightwing with him constantly needing to flip and roll out of the way of the frothing jaws and sharp claws. Blue Beetle was still using the plasma cannon, leaving the big black dog to smoke as Superboy kept tackling it. Nightwing was relieved when an arrow came flying out of a building and into the dog.

Except nothing happened. The arrow passed harmlessly through the creature and buried into the asphalt of the cracked street. But the arrow seemed to do something, and that was enrage the dog into attacking more fervently. It nearly took out Blue Beetle but Kid Flash raced down the street and was able to get his friend away in time. Robin was by Nightwing's side in a moment, both adopted brothers fighting as viciously as they could, trying to find a weak spot. Their birdrangs did nothing, just passed through the dog or bounced off its hide. The only one who seemed to be making a hit was Superboy, but even his punches didn't affect the dog-like creature as much as it should have.

 _Miss Martian, anything?_

Nightwing was hoping his teammate could break into its mind and find that switch that knocked anything unconscious.

 _Its mind is like nothing I have ever seen. I ... I can't even understand its motives. The whole brain structure is off. Even where the biological structure should stand is different. It could take me hours to find the right way to knock it unconscious,_ Miss Martian responded, sounding fearful.

 _We don't have hours. Figure it out faster and don't worry about destroying its mind. It's obviously not of too high intellect to properly communicate with us,_ Tigress responded, sending another arrow that just harmlessly passed through the creature.

Nightwing was about to agree before a cry next to him alerted him to Robin. The dog had clamped its huge jaws around his leg. For the briefest of moments, Nightwing froze before launching at the dog with renewed vigor and aggression he had not felt in a long time. He had already lost Jason, he was not losing Tim. He was not losing another brother.

He momentarily blinked out of what was going on around him. All he knew was his relentless attack on the creature in front of him, wishing for it be destroyed as he could check on Robin, so he could check on his brother Tim. The escrima sticks crackled with electricity and hit the joints of the creature and areas Nightwing could only guess were sensitive. He flipped and rolled around the creature. There were moments when he heard Superboy attacking the dog and Kid Flash reporting that Robin was in the Bioship with Miss Martian to get healed. Tigress was on her way to the Bioship to help with the wounds. Blue Beetle was still launching plasma blasts, muttering about full lethality when Nightwing and Superboy were out of range.

It was when Kid Flash was back did the tides turn in the superheroes' favors. The yellow and red clad superhero didn't explain his plan. He did manage to get Nightwing and Superboy to back up with the help of Blue Beetle. Nightwing watched as Kid Flash ran around the beast, closing in as he ran to form a raging tornado. With the chance to catch his breath, Nightwing noticed his own wounds. The claws that scraped his legs or the graze from the dog's teeth on his arm. His shoulder was stinging and when he put a hand on it, he pulled it away to see blood staining the black glove.

He focused back on Kid Flash to see him closing the tornado to the point there was no way the dog would survive. Nightwing expected it to collapse and suffocate. He was not, however, expecting it to explode in a shower of yellow dust. Kid Flash stopped as all four stared down at the mess.

"Was ... that supposed to happen?" Kid Flash finally asked, looking at the other heroes.

"It's dead," Blue Beetle whispered before shifting his orange-lensed gaze to the platform. "We should dismantle it."

No one argued as the four heroes worked on the invention. Nightwing tried to understand the complexity behind it. He could tell it was routed in Zeta beams but also something else. Shaking his head, he tore it apart, disengaging the power source. Blue Beetle was right beside him, passing anything of the most valuable and probably harder to replace to Superboy to crush. Some things were handed to Kid Flash to race back to the Bioship for farther investigation behind the energy used or to drop it in the ocean or vibrate into some concrete ways away. It was a tiring process and by the time the heroes were done, all were gasping for breath. Kid Flash was eating an energy bar—his last—as they stumbled back to the Bioship.

"Is it gone?" Miss Martian asked as they boarded the ship.

"Exploded into dust," Superboy huffed.

"What?" Tigress asked, shock and disbelief lilting her words.

"That's what it did," Kid Flash backed up, waving his arms around as some of the yellow dust rained down. "I still have some of it on me."

"How did you defeat it?" Miss Martian asked.

"Bart made a tornado to suffocate it but once it had, it exploded," Blue Beetle responded, jabbing a finger at Kid Flash aka Bart Allen.

"How you doing, Rob?" Nightwing asked, sitting down next to his brother who was sprawled out on a makeshift med-bay in the ship, leg tightly wrapped with white gauze that was slowly becoming red in areas.

"I've been better 'Wing," Robin answered with a smirk as he lethargically batted at Nightwing's shoulder. "Anyway to analyze what's going on?"

"We're bringing some parts from the platform with us," Nightwing answered. "Other than that, no."

"Not even a proper way to defeat things like that except to get a speedster to create a tornado?" Robin gasped out, cringing in pain.

"No, now rest," Nightwing said, ruffling his brother's militaristic-styled hair. Robin batted his hand away halfheartedly as he seemed to relax a little.

"Back to the new Cave?" Robin asked.

"Back to the new Cave," Nightwing agreed, walking back to his seat. "Get us out of here, Miss M."

"On it," Miss Martian said, powering up the Bioship and traveling back to the new location for the team. After the original cave in Mount Justice had exploded on March 23, 2016, they had to relocate when they had the chance. However much fun it was to work out of the Watchtower, it was best to have the covert ops headquarters on Earth. Thus a new cave was made in the Appalachian Mountains. It had more room than the old one, but was missing some of the things that made it special. The counter with the holes wasn't there anymore nor the Souvenir Room started by Wally. Nightwing missed that Souvenir Room. He could always go in there and remember the good ole days with his original team; when he didn't have the stress of leadership on his shoulders; when his best friends were by his side; when he thought nothing could really touch them because he was still a naïve boy despite being in the hero gig since he was eight.

It wasn't home, but he knew after a while, it would become a new home to the younger members.

Just not a home for him.

* * *

 **December 4, 2016  
15:39 EST**  
 **A Hangar Bay in the Appalachian Mountains**

Nightwing helped to move Robin to the med-bay at the Cave with the help of Superboy. Everyone who had more physical contact with the creature was checked over. Nightwing had his wounds wrapped and helped Kid Flash with his own. It was a tiring process to convince the speedster he did need to be looked over because despite his fast healing, an infection could still set in. It had happened to Wally and Nightwing was making sure it never happened to his first cousin once removed for the sake of his friend's protective nature of his family.

He knew he needed to make a report to the Justice League about their findings, and soon. Just because they disabled the platform in New York City, did not mean there weren't others. He'd have to keep an eye on any energy surges. Now was not the time to push things to the side like they had done back in October. That one mistake had nearly cost them a life if the near miss of Robin's main artery in his leg was anything to go by. Nightwing would not let another teammate die on his watch, yet alone one of his brothers.

"Should I upload those scans?" Blue Beetle asked, interrupting Nightwing's thoughts as he stood in front of the main computer in the Cave.

"Yes," Nightwing agreed with a sigh as Blue Beetle plugged in his scanner so anything he had picked up would be put into the system. "Is there anything else the Scarab might know?"

"He said, throughout the whole thing, we should have brought Cassie along," Blue Beetle answered, looking over at the black-clad hero. "Something about her biological makeup due to her dad."

"I bet the Scarab was choking on those words," Nightwing smirked as Blue Beetle laughed.

"He was," the teen agreed as the upload was done, removing the adapter for the scanner. The armor retracted itself so the Hispanic teen known as Jaime Reyes stood in its place. "But he's gotten better on knowing when we might need certain people. At the moment, we might need Cassie for all these missions if the Scarab is saying things like this. Until we can find a way to fight them without nearly losing people, we should take his consideration into effect."

"Thank you. Both of you," Nightwing said, laying a hand on Jaime's shoulder. "Get some rest and be with your family, Jaime. I know how much you like to be with them."

" _Gracias,_ Nightwing," Jaime said, heading to the Zeta beams and leaving in a flash of light and the echoing departure of _Recognized: Blue Beetle B22._

Nightwing pulled up video calls to the Founders of the League. It wasn't long for all seven to answer, staring out at him to explain why he was calling.

"Superboy, Miss Martian, Tigress, Robin, Blue Beetle, Kid Flash, and I went to investigate an energy flux in New York City. When we arrived, we found a platform in the center of an abandoned street. A creature appeared on it, something we've never faced before. All of us came out with some scrapes, even Superboy had a sprained wrist by the end of the fight. Robin received the most dangerous injury when the creature bit him and its teeth just missed the main artery in his leg. We don't know what the creature was by anything we gained from Blue Beetle's scans, which are now uploaded along with anything from the machine. We have parts from the machine with us to determine what it's made from and who would make such a thing. We've already determined Zeta beam technology had to be involved, but we don't know how far," Nightwing sighed, looking at the seven Founders.

"Are you sure it wasn't some alien?" Hal Jordan, a Green Lantern, asked.

"If it was, it was from a world that wasn't already on Blue Beetle's scans, and the Scarab he has is filled with the information the Reach has gained, and you know how well they've traveled the universe," Nightwing stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "Besides, the scans revealed the platform was a link between dimensions. Whatever the creature was, is not from this universe but from a completely different dimension."

"How would the Reach know about this?" the Flash asked.

"Blue Beetle said the Scarab had filed something like this before around three thousand years ago when it was on Earth. Maybe the Reach doesn't even know of this," Nightwing explained with a shrug. "I can ask more about it from Blue Beetle when he comes in tomorrow. At the moment, I let him go home."

No one demanded that he come back to the Cave immediately.

"Report to the Watchtower with the equipment you salvaged so we can go over it," Batman ordered.

"Yes sir," Nightwing said, nodding his head as the calls ended. Rubbing a hand down his face, Nightwing turned to the box they had stored the equipment into. He almost missed Kid Flash lurking a little ways away, but his honed detective skills had him seeing the yellow and red speedster easily. "You need something, Bart?"

"Different dimensions exist?" Bart asked, his voice trembling. Even if he had heard it over the mind-link, Nightwing could see the thirteen-year-old was having a tough time processing it.

"Apparently," Nightwing sighed heavily, his shoulders shagging a little.

"What are we going to do?" Bart asked.

"We'll have to play it by ear," Nightwing answered. Bart let a watery smirk slip onto his face.

"You must hate that. Wally used to tell me how much you hated not being able to plan things out," Bart teased but Nightwing could see the tears in the young boy's green eyes. He didn't hesitate to hug the speedster. It was almost immediate how quick Bart melted into Nightwing's embrace and let his sobs take over. Nightwing practically crushed the boy in a strong hold, thinking about how much he reminded him of Wally it physically hurt at times. But for Wally, Nightwing would help to keep his friend's family safe.

"Yeah, I hate it," Nightwing laughed hollowly, wondering if his voice sounded as choked as he felt. "He always found a way to throw a wrench into all my plans half the time unless we were on a mission."

Bart let out a choked laugh at that.

"I barely even got to know him and I miss him so much," Bart whispered.

"I know," Nightwing whispered, holding the thin boy closer. He had barely known Wally anymore when he passed. Five years changed people and Wally taking down his mantel of Kid Flash before he went off to college had made it hard for Nightwing to keep in touch as much as he wanted to.

Bart pulled away and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, "I got to get home. Grandma Iris is expecting me to help her in the kitchen."

Nightwing smirked at that. Iris Allen was nearing the point of exploding with how pregnant she was. Then it dropped.

"What will happen when your dad and aunt are born, Bart?" Nightwing asked. Bart shrugged.

"I don't know honestly," Bart said, scratching at his elbow with a gloved hand. "I'm technically out of the time stream as Nate would point out. Maybe I'll keep living or maybe I'll fade. I don't know but until then, I'm going to keep living because that's the least I can do for Wally."

Nightwing nodded and squeezed Bart's shoulder as the speedster headed to the Zeta beams.

"Bart," Nightwing called, stopping the auburn-haired teen in his tracks. "He'd be proud."

"Thanks, Dick," Bart said, grinning at Nightwing, the smile looking more like a smug smirk as he stepped into the Zeta beams. The cry of _Recognized: Kid Flash B23_ echoed in the cave. Nightwing sighed, feeling physically and mentally drained.

Shaking off his drowsiness, Nightwing gathered the box again and headed to the zeta beams. He disappeared in a flash of light and the announcement of _Recognized: Nightwing B01_ to the Watchtower.

 **Translations:**

 **Spanish:**

 **Esé: homeboy**

 **¿Cómo es eso posible?: How is that possible?**

 **Gracias: seriously, if you don't know this, I cannot help you at all**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**

 **Thank you for all the follows and favoring. Means lot to me.**

 **I can't guarantee when I will be able to update again. I'm going on vacation tomorrow and my parents made a deal with me: no laptop. If I leave my laptop behind, then I can get some books (and by books, I mean expensive research books on mythology). So for a little more than a week, there is no way I'll be able to update at all, but once I get back home, I'll try my hardest to whip one out (along with one for my other story once I get out of the rut I have for it).**

 **Reviews:**

 **Krusher: I can understand where you're coming from. The Last Airbender _is_ better than the Legend of Korra. _However,_ Legend of Korra had something I really wanted to play off of: established metal-bending. I know what you're probably thinking, and it's why I didn't put Michi's life between the two. I would tell you my reasoning, but I don't want to spoil anything for my the rest of my readers. If any background checks of Michi's life do not pop up in this fic, I will either tell you at the end of this story or create a short story explaining Michi's life for some more clarity. But that's only if it doesn't pop up in this story and I will try to make sure it does and inform you if it is in a chapter so you can understand. But anyway, I hope you enjoy the story regardless of which series of the Avatar franchise I used.**

 **lumigo akvo9504: I'm glad you're enjoying my work. And please calm down on telling me when to update. I one of those people who have to have a chapter or two complete before I publish another chapter. So bear with me.**

* * *

 **FOUR**

 **An Invulnerable Enemy & Late Heroes**

 **December 5, 2016  
2:56 EST  
Walmart Store in Philadelphia**

A swirling blue portal opened up and spat out four teens onto the linoleum floor of the huge super center. Each one landed roughly on the floor and picked themselves up. Caspar looked around curiously, taking everything in. It was obviously night outside, late evening or very early morning. Standing up and rotating his shoulders, he extended a hand down and helped Danielle up. Michi was already up and helping Nevidebla to her feet.

"Where are we?" Nevidebla asked the question boarding on everybody's mind. Caspar pulled out the tablet he had and messed with the controls for a moment before finding out their location.

"In a Walmart in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. But this Walmart is closer to the more desolate and sketchy parts of this city," Caspar intoned, putting his tablet away.

"We need to get to one of the main cities with superheroes," Danielle said, looking over at Nevidebla.

"Star City, Central City, and Gotham City should work," Nevidebla said. "It'll just depend on if you want to interact with Green Arrow, the Flash, or Batman."

"Which would more than likely help us out," Danielle asked. That was when Nevidebla pulled a face and Caspar had to agree. The hero he admired would not help them right away. Lock them in Arkham for the sear stupidity of trying to get his help to get into contact with the League and access to the Watchtower? Yeah, he would do that.

"Definitely not Batman," Nevidebla said with a shake of her head. "Green Arrow and the Flash are our best choices, but we'll have to precede with caution. I would say Flash right off the bat, but with losing Wally, that's not as advisable anymore. He'll be weary and not wanting to lose anyone else of family to him. Green Arrow would have been the best if it wasn't for his girlfriend, Black Canary, who would not let him get away with spilling his secrets. So we're at a standstill on if we go to Green Arrow or the Flash."

"Which would be closer?" Danielle asked.

"Central City. It's basically in the middle of the U.S.," Nevidebla answered.

"Let's go," Danielle said, heading towards the door to possibly make it intangible so everyone could get out. But it didn't work out like that. A growling behind them had the four teenagers turning around. Caspar stared at the horrible wonder of a glittering gold lion.

"The Nemean Lion," Nevidebla whispered in her own horror.

"Run, hide!" Danielle commanded, taking charge.

Everyone split up. Caspar headed to the electronics section while Michi found a way into the support beams of the huge store. Nevidebla skidded into the clothes racks while Danielle stood near the frozen foods. Caspar watched as his team leader dug around in her bag before pulling something out. Danielle let white rings appear around her waist and separate. Her red jeans and blue hoodie changed into black pants with white triangles on the sides and a long-sleeved crop top that was separated diagonally from the left shoulder to the right bottom, making the right half of the top black and the left half white. Her right glove was white while her left glove was black and her blue sneakers were replaced by white boots. Her hair became snow white and her eyes a toxic green. Even her skin had gained some pallor to it so it seemed slightly tan.

His leader floated into the air, her aura giving off a white gleam. Then she was racing around the store and giving something to each person. When Caspar received his, he knew it was an earpiece and put it in.

" _Everyone on?_ " Danielle asked over the piece.

" _Copy_ ," Nevidebla said, voice sounding shakier than any other time that Caspar heard her.

" _Uh, I hope_ ," Michi replied.

" _You are on, as am I_ ," Caspar said with a roll of his eyes. " _How do we go about defeating this thing?_ "

" _The Nemean Lion's fur is impenetrable. No weapon, even a demigod's, can break it. Heracles defeated it by choking it to death with his inhuman strength. We don't have that on us. Not even Danielle's ghostly strength could compare to the sear power we need to choke it,_ " Nevidebla responded almost robotically.

" _Any other way? It had to have showed up more than once in history, yes?_ " Michi asked.

" _Well, it did and a few years ago. Percy, Thalia, Grover, and two Huntresses of Artemis took it on in, I believe, the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. Of what I heard, Percy defeated it with ... I'm pretty sure it was astronaut food_ ," Nevidebla answered. " _But we don't have astronaut food with us at the moment_."

Caspar's mind turned around in his head. That made sense. The inside couldn't be as protected as it should be. Caspar looked out from his hiding spot to see the creature closer to his spot, sniffing around and smacking its jaw. The tongue was pink, the roof of its mouth a pinkish-red, and its throat was pink. It was vulnerable there, on the inside, which was how that Percy-fellow defeated it beforehand. Keeping his breath even, despite the nerves and adrenaline pounding away inside his body, Caspar slowly made his way over to the cash register. There, right on a shelf, were the keys needed to get ahold of whatever he needed at the moment. Taking the keys just encase he might need them, making sure they didn't jingle, Caspar looked over to see the Nemean Lion too close for comfort.

" _Guys, I have a plan, but I need the thing distracted for me to get the supplies_ ," Caspar whispered, cringing in hope that the Nemean Lion didn't hear him.

" _On it. Monsters can't resist good demigod flesh_ ," Nevidebla said, though her voice was still shaking.

" _Just don't do anything drastically stupid_ ," Danielle ordered. Caspar smirked at it as there was a loud racket in the clothing section. That was his distraction and Caspar leapt to the hardware section. He needed a small screwdriver. Actually, he needed a lot of things. Lego Barrels, toothpicks, blasting caps, paper, a small cup, paper tape, and some water. He raced around the store, finding what he needed as he heard his friends fighting rather viciously. And some insults were heard, most coming from Nevidebla and most being in Greek.

Once Caspar had everything, he sat down near the frozen section and laid everything out. Caspar took the screwdriver and started to apply pressure onto each blasting cap he had gathered, and he had not gone light. He knew he only had so much time, but he also had to make sure he could help his friends out by making sure that monster was really gone. With some paper, Caspar tapped out the powder inside each cap hurriedly, feeling his body sweating at how meticulous this was being. Shifting the paper around, he got the considerably big amount of powder situated into one place on the paper. He took the plastic cup he found and sifted the powder into it.

Next was the bottle of water. Unscrewing it quickly, Caspar put about two capfuls of it into the cup. Taking a toothpick, Caspar stirred the mixture as fast as he dared until the powder became thick and pasty. Using the toothpick, Caspar began filling the insane amount of Lego Barrels he had gained. And it was hard, but he did it quickly, even going as far as using two toothpicks. The only problem was making sure they weren't any air pockets.

He took the paper duct tape and began rolling it. It was messy how fast he rolled the barrels together. It was an impressive amount, though. Nearly the size of his palm. Caspar raced towards the butcher section and found a chicken breast to use. Folding the chicken around the explosives, even taping it there, Caspar was ready. He took out his lighter and made his way over to his friends.

" _You three might want to find cover soon. I'm making that lion blow_ ," Caspar said into the earpiece. His friends didn't need to apply to the affirmative. By the time he made it to the Nemean Lion prowling around, they were gone. Taking in a deep breath, Caspar lit the fuse and got the lion's undivided attention with a yell. He panicked momentarily when it charged at him, mouth open wide. Gulping heavily, he tossed the homemade firecracker bomb into its mouth. The lion began to choke and gag as it stumbled away, only a few feet from Caspar. The redhead widened his eyes and leapt behind a nearby aisle and covered his ears. A loud bang resonated and Caspar looked out shakily. The lion had become yellow dust and right in its place was a tawny jacket.

He didn't notice his friends had come to gather around him until a hand landed on his shoulder.

"You got a spoil of war, Carrot-Top, so take it," Nevidebla said, smirking somewhat proudly.

"What?" Caspar asked, his ears still ringing slightly as he got to his feet. Nevidebla rolled her eyes and picked up the jacket, thrusting it into Caspar's arms. He didn't take it.

"A spoil of war. A few creatures actually do this when killed because they are nearly impossible to do so. With Medusa, you gain her head; with gorgons, you gain a vial of blood from each side of them; and the Nemean Lion gives you its pelt that is impenetrable. So switch your red jacket for this, dude," Nevidebla explained.

"How amazing is it?" Michi asked.

"Can protect our friend against bullets. And no offense Carrot-Top, but I really want you protected if you keep working with explosives," Nevidebla stated, shoving the garment into his hands with more force than before. He reluctantly took it into his hands, examining the tawny shade to his bright red one. That was when Caspar noticed the torn fabric that had become Nevidebla's hoodie.

"You can take my red one," Caspar said, shrugging off his army jacket and red jacket. He handed his friend the red one while he pulled the tawny one on. It covered the upper parts of his thighs and covered his hands a little.

"Is it usually this big?" Danielle asked, lifting up a sleeve of the Nemean Lion jacket. Nevidebla shook her head in the negative.

"Maybe it knows how precious his hands are and that there are main arteries in his thighs and formed to keep them protected without giving him a trench coat," Nevidebla answered, peeling off her grey hoodie and pulling on the red jacket. She took some things out of her tattered hoodie's pocket and placed it into the jacket's pocket.

"Now we should get going," Michi interrupted, looking towards the door. "A bang like that could wake anyone up and send the police on us."

Everyone nodded in agreement and made their way to the entrance. They were only a few feet away when the doors opened. Panicking, the four split up to hide. Caspar found himself in the way back of the cart area while Danielle was hiding in the beauty salon. Nevidebla managed to get herself in an air vent while Michi just hid around the corner to the entrance to the store. It was quiet and Caspar could barely make anyone out. Pulling his goggles from around his neck up, he switched them to night vision. Green bled into his vision as he made out the forms.

There was a man wearing spandex and the different shades of green revealed some bird design on his chest and a domino mask covering his face. Thanks to Caspar's extended knowledge of comics pertaining to Batman, he knew this was Nightwing aka Richard "Dick" Grayson. A girl followed him with a cowl of a bat and her outfit had a utility belt of a brighter shade than the rest and a cap flowed behind her. That had to be Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon. There was a girl with hair pulled back by a headband and unkempt bangs. Her top was a tank-top with stylized thing "W"s across the chest. Star earrings were in her ears and bracelets on her wrists. Her pants were definitely not black, but Caspar didn't know the exact color but white stripes ran down the length. He didn't know this person superhero alias but Nevidebla more than likely did. The last person was blonde and wearing a suit that had stripes on it. A mask resembling that of a tiger's covered her face and a compact bow was in her hands, arrow already notched. He didn't know this person either.

" _Nightwing, Batgirl, Wonder Girl, and Tigress_ ," Nevidebla whispered over the earpieces.

" _Abilities?_ " Danielle whispered.

" _Nightwing and Batgirl rely on martial arts and utilities from their belts. Even if you can't see the belt, it's there. Wonder Girl has flight, super strength, and invulnerability. She's a tough one. Tigress also has martial arts training and her main weapon is the bow, but don't let that fool you. She can do a whole lot more and it will still be nasty_ ," Nevidebla reported, voice low. Caspar momentarily wondered how she was able to make her voice not carry while she hid in the air vents. But then again, this was Nevidebla. She more than likely hid in air vents a good deal of her life and knew how to move silently in the cramp spaces.

" _I can take on Wonder Girl_ ," Danielle whispered. " _Nevidebla and Michi should team up against Nightwing and Batgirl. Caspar, you got Tigress_."

" _But this is just worst case scenario?_ " Michi asked.

" _It's encase they engage us without us explaining first_ ," Caspar whispered, watching the people walk towards Michi's area. " _And they're headed your way, Michi. Be prepared to either lie your ass off or hide._ "

He knew by the lack of confrontation, Michi had found a better place to hide. As much as they needed the heroes' help, they needed to do it in a way that did not equal to the fact it seemed they broke into a store. But it would have been nice if they were there when they were fighting the Nemean Lion.

" _They're moving deeper into the store_ ," Danielle hissed.

" _Can you hear them?_ " Michi asked.

" _Barely. If I get too close they might hear me_ ," Danielle answered. Caspar knew the white-haired friend at the moment was moving closer to the superheroes. " _They're mentioned energy fluxes and ... monsters._ "

" _They might have already had a run-in with a monster then_ ," Nevidebla whispered. " _Energy fluxes probably signal when a new monster comes through_."

" _One made a note that the platform was a few blocks away but residual energy seems to stay on these monsters_ ," Danielle said. " _It's the only reason they're in the store. Their scanner went off with the Nemean Lion's energy residue._ "

" _Did they dismantle it?_ " Caspar asked.

" _I don't know_ ," Danielle answered.

" _Caspar and I can go look. You and Michi should stay here and keep an eye on them_ ," Nevidebla said. Caspar stood from his spot near the carts.

" _Be careful_ ," Michi whispered.

" _We will_ ," Caspar answered immediately, looking back at the heroes founding a corner into an aisle, getting closer to the sight of the destruction of the Nemean Lion. He made his way back to the front as Nevidebla hopped down silently next to him. Neither really acknowledged the other except with a curt nod as Nevidebla worked on the lock and Caspar hacked the security cameras. He erased them being here, even the Nemean Lion was gone from the footage. It was a blank slate and the footage was lost in the intricacies of the internet. Putting his tablet away, he waited for Nevidebla to finish picking the lock. Once done, the two left Walmart and made their way across the street.

Caspar took off his goggles and had them hang around his neck again as they walked in the crisp night air, breath fogging in front of their mouths. Both were on edge and Caspar noticed the way Nevidebla was gripping one of her knives. It was something unknown to Caspar. He had only seen his friend more relaxed on missions. She was never this tense, her footsteps had never been placed so deliberately, and her head didn't swivel at every sound. This was more than likely how she was in her own world when cut off from the safety of the camps she went to. It made Caspar's heart fall at the thought of brash, knowledgeable Nevidebla being a paranoid girl waiting for the next thing to make a noise to attack her.

"Where is it?" Nevidebla hissed.

"One more block," Caspar said, taking his tablet out and checking again. It was one more block to go in an abandoned stretch of street. They rounded the corner to see the dismantled creation. Exchanging glances, both walked over and started to snoop around. The machine had a radius that was nearly as wide as the street. It looked like it was out of place, even dismantled, with its gleaming metal and high-end tech.

"There are parts with arrows shot through them or crushed," Nevidebla reported, holding up a crumbled sheet of metal with wires sticking out. Caspar nodded his head and began to remove a panel to scope out the interiors. Most of it was removed, more than likely the crushed and broken pieces around them. But there was just enough for Caspar to hopefully reverse engineer what this machine was based on. He found wires and a space where an energy source should be. Pulling his head out of the machine, he looked around. Nothing on the ground remotely resembled anything of a power source.

"They took the power source. I can't really determine anything without knowing what powers this machine," Caspar sighed, standing up and kicking the panel away. "We won't find anything out this way."

"You could hack the mainframe of the computers of the Justice League," Nevidebla said with a shrug. "They obviously know some of what they're doing. Maybe they have information of the energy source there and where the energy fluxes are happening. If we can get that program, we hopefully can get there before them and dismantle one ourselves to get the information we need, too."

Caspar nodded as he glared down at the platform with his green eyes. Sighing heavily, he said, "We should get back to the others."

"I'll check in on them," Nevidebla said, tapping her earpiece. " _You guys alright?_ "

" _They made note of the leftover dust. Said it was the same as that large black dog left behind when Kid Flash destroyed it_ ," Danielle reported.

" _The four a hellhound. They're not terrible if you have the right weapons and know how to right_ ," Nevidebla rattled off. " _But I'm guessing Kid Flash was only able to defeat it by a tornado?_ "

" _Yep_ ," Danielle whispered.

" _What are they doing now?_ " Caspar asked, breaking into the conversation.

" _They are exiting the building_ ," Michi answered. " _They mentioned going back to the Bioship, though we don't know where that is._ "

" _We'll meet up with you once they leave the area around Walmart,_ " Caspar said, looking over at Nevidebla. "We should get going."

"Yeah," Nevidebla said with a nod. "Never know if that ship is near here."

They were just about to round a corner when Caspar saw the heroes making their way back to them. Grabbing Nevidebla's arm, he dragged her into an alley. Both ran as silently as they could to the end and slipped out. Breathing heavily, air swirling around them in white puffs, they made their way back to the Walmart their friends were in. Now both were on edge as they kept walking until Nevidebla stopped, grabbing Caspar's arm. Neither spoke as Nevidebla raised an arm and pointed down an alley they were passing. There was some wide piece of metal in the center of the street, raised slightly. Exchanging looks, they made their way over and noticed it was like the platform they had seen before, except it was in one piece.

"I'll dismantle it; you radio in the others," Caspar ordered, hurrying over to the machine and pulling out a screwdriver from his tool belt. He worked on the screws and vaguely paid attention to the others talking in the earpiece.

" _There's another one here and it's in one piece. Caspar's gutting it_."

" _We'll meet up with you. Be prepared encase it turns on before he can make it out._ "

" _I know, Dani_."

" _Why is there another one? Shouldn't there be one?_ "

" _We don't know that. Clockwork doesn't even know about these machines. We knows as much as the heroes with the exception of knowing these link worlds together._ "

" _Maybe this is a backup plan?_ "

" _Care to explain this backup plan to us commoners, Lady Dani?_ "

Caspar snorted slightly at the commentary Nevidebla had used. He could feel her shooting him a look as he worked, removing anything of importance. It was going to wear his bag down, but these parts could help him in many ways. His mind a whirring mess, Caspar began to pack while also tossing aside anything useless.

" _They more than likely have only one of these machines activated at one time so if the heroes_ do _find them and dismantle one, there are still others they can turn online. And maybe once the final battle happens, they'll have so many of these they can bring out a whole army of monsters. It makes sense. Maybe they'll wait months turning one online again so the heroes won't even think that they have many set up in the same city at once._ "

" _It's diabolically logical._ "

" _Agreed._ "

Caspar shook his head as he stood up and swung his now excruciatingly heavy backpack onto his back. Kicking some parts away he knew he would need to ask Danielle's help to either make some of the pieces embed themselves into the ground and buildings surrounding the area or have Nevidebla destroy the rest. But he should inform the others he was done.

" _I'm done but there are still parts I either want destroyed or lost persay_ ," Caspar said into the earpiece.

" _When I'm there, I'll have some pieces become lost_ ," Danielle said.

"Yes! Destroying stuff!" Nevidebla cheered, going for the parts and swinging them up into the air. Caspar watched as she grabbed a sword hilt and her thumb skimmed over a button, pressing down. A three foot long blade of glowing Celestial bronze extended outwards and sliced through the metal like a butter knife through warm butter. Sitting down, Caspar watched as his blonde friend went through the pieces, always asking him if they should be destroyed or lost. It was a good thing Nevidebla asked or she would have been on the verge of death a good six times.

By the time Danielle and Michi had shown up, Nevidebla was panting and grinning like a fool in the cold night air, her tan cheeks flushed. Caspar, in comparison to her flushed and tanned cheeks, was a sight of sickly paleness and pinched pink cheeks. He sat with his hands in his armpits and his hat now on his head to keep his ears warm. Danielle went to work to hide the six items, even flying halfway across the city invisibly to hide them. Michi sat down next to Caspar through it all, both commenting on Nevidebla's sword skills. Michi had even helped her out with better moving targets by controlling some of the metal. By the time Danielle came back, all of them were ready to find a place to crash for the night before going over their plan again.

"Maybe we should just stay in one of these buildings," Caspar said, gesturing to the empty buildings around them. "If a different platform comes online here, we'll know about it soon enough to deal with the monster."

"At the moment, I'm ready to agree to anything," Nevidebla sighed. "Screw logic, I'm tired."

Caspar chuckled as Michi rolled his steel grey eyes.

"We'll stay in that one," Danielle said, pointing to the building that looked the most stable. The four teenagers made their way over and with Nevidebla's work on the lock, were into the slightly warmer air the building provided. They journeyed into the most insulated room in the building and set up camp. Caspar sat down near Michi.

"I got the bow, quivers, knives, and metals," Nevidebla said once they were comfortable, zipping open the extra bag she carried. Caspar didn't hesitate in taking the bow and arrow, messing with them. It was something his dad had taught him, saying something about how a skill without technology was a good one to have. It felt right in his hands, his fingers holding the grip easily and saw the notching point easily on the string. He barely registered the knives given to him as he put them in pockets all over his body. Michi got his metals, bending them to look like trinkets on a chain attached to his belt. Caspar scoffed at it, but decided to point nothing out to Michi. One exchanged look with Danielle almost made Caspar laugh. He knew if he looked at Nevidebla, neither could come back from their laughing fit so he couldn't look at the blonde. Danielle got her knives and Caspar really wondered where she put them on her body outside of the pocket of her hoodie. He only saw the silver knife go there, but the Imperial gold and Celestial bronze just seemed to disappear.

"Here's the Fenton tech," Danielle said, pulling out plenty. She explained how each one worked, an ecto-gun, wrist ray, thermos, and something called a Specter Deflector passed around. Caspar avoided activating the Specter Deflector when Danielle explained that once it was activated, she couldn't touch them or she would become extra crispy. But it was nice to have more weapons to prepare himself with.

"I'm going to sleep now," Michi declared, rolling onto his side and letting his own bag be used as a pillow. Nevidebla yawned and followed suit. Danielle gave Caspar a pointed look.

"Get some sleep," Danielle ordered. "We can look at the tech scavenged from the machine at a more reasonable hour in the day."

"Fine," Caspar groaned out, letting out a huffy breath as he got settled onto the floor. In a moments, he was asleep and knew if Danielle was still awake, would have smirked at how easily he feel asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**

 **Hey everybody, I'm back. And since I'm back from vacation, I can tell you all were I went: the Wisconsin Dells. Nice place. I advise the Ghost Boat for any of you who absolutely love being scared, Mount Olympus for some awesome rollercoasters (they will make you sick or damn near close), and Noah's Ark for the best water park in my opinion. And I was able to obtain those resource books on mythology, so I'm happy.**

 **Anyway, reviews:**

 **lumigo akvo9504: You didn't overwhelm me persay. I just thought I would inform you—along with anyone else—that my updates are sporadic. There literally is no set plan on updates, hence no reason to demand/ask for one ahead of when I'm ready. Other than that, I'm happy you are enjoying the story. I can, however, understand being anxious for the next chapter. It comes in the territory of online work that isn't complete. And of course I'm going to follow my ideas. They haven't led me wrong yet.**

 **MrCcoz: I like to see characters through another's eyes, too. It makes the story more real in a sense because no stranger is truly going to know everything about everyone (not even Clockwork). It's one of the greatest gifts crossovers give when done right. Thank you for pointing out the sheer issue. I knew the one I was using was incorrect but I kept forgetting the other spelling anytime I went back to edit it. The chapter that had the mistake will more than likely remain until I go back over the story and completely edit it when I am finished. I'm also happy you're enjoying the story, too. It means a lot.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my OCs. That's it. Everything else is owned to the respected people who created Young Justice, Danny Phantom, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Avatar: the Legend of Korra, and the Legend Trilogy.**

* * *

 **FIVE**

 **Stakeouts & Mad Scientist Ghosts**

 **December 8, 2016  
00:28 EST  
Rooftops of Abandoned Sector of Gotham City**

The fluxes of energy were really annoying Nightwing now. There had been one on December 5th, demanding he travel to Philadelphia with a team. Then on the same day, another located in Seattle and then another in Tallahassee. December 6th had followed with more cities being hit from Harlem, Boston, Topeka, Dallas, and Bismarck to name a few. Today had been long and tiring with even more popping up. His forehead pounded but he couldn't rest. Not yet. The villains were back and in full throttle. Not only were these monsters appearing, but villainous activity had skyrocketed in the past three days.

But the strangest thing was that when platforms that were located in the northeastern part of the country went off, there was almost a twenty percent guarantee that someone had gotten there before them and dismantled the machine along with killing off whatever monster had been there. Nightwing had studied the battlefields when they came across these scenes. Blade marks sometimes marked the edges of buildings or the street. A few had arrow holes pocketing the area, and Nightwing could only guess what might have been explosives or energy bolts leaving black smudges on the ground and buildings. And the battlefields always ranged from near and clean—barely any evidence of a fight going down—to destruction littering the vicinity of the desolate areas of the cities these platforms appeared in.

It unnerved him because despite however the scene turned out to look, he knew it was quick. Quicker than the Team had been responding to the points themselves. And there obviously were less people. Three at the least, four at the most. And yet, with such small numbers compared to the amount Nightwing had to constantly send out to these points, they seemed to be more effective. Their going about the platforms was slower than the Team's, but what they did accomplish was fast when they came upon one. And further from painless if the evidence Nightwing constantly discovered was anything to go by. There was only one time there was an impressive amount of blood. But only one time and never again recently.

He had begun to stake out the northeastern ones as best he could to figure out who these people were. But somehow, they slipped away. Either the creature had left the area the platform was in and they couldn't seem to find said platform or they had gotten there before Nightwing could stake it out, the machinery dismantled. Now, he was determined to find them. There had been a flux in Gotham and he didn't care if Batman ended up angry, Nightwing was staying and staking it out. It had been hours since the original flux and he knew the creature that had appeared had wandered off a few blocks away.

"There's one over there!" a voice exclaimed and Nightwing perked up, looking down the street. He saw four teenagers, none older than fifteen, running along. Two girls and two boys. The girls were black-haired and blonde while the boys were a redhead and a brunet. He watched as the redhead took off faster and straight at the platform. It was almost magic how fast the sickly white-skinned boy ripped off a panel and was halfway inside it, not caring if the machine started to spark and electrocute him.

The other three started to pace. The black-haired girl stood closer to the redhead, her hands and eyes glowing green as she paced, her red jeans a stark contrast in the night. The brunet and blonde paced around the platform, guarding each entrance to the street, both watching carefully and walking as if they were predators. The girl was swinging a bronze sword, the blade three feet long. She had leather armor on underneath her red jacket and over a purple shirt. The brunet had a chunk of glowing bronze metal in his hand, as if that could really do anything considering the smoothness it possessed.

"Are you sure there could be more?" the black-haired girl called out after a stressful few minutes.

"Yes," the blonde responded instantly. "Hellhounds can shadow-travel. We are bathed in shadows. They'll come."

"I hate how sure you are," the redhead called from his head inside the machinery.

"We all hate how sure she is," the brunet stated loudly, his head cocking to the side before he lowered himself to the ground, placing a hand to it. Nightwing was confused on what the notion caused but the brunet was back on his feet, his body falling into a well-balanced fighting form, his olives-skinned hands forming into slight fists. "Company. Both directions. It's a pack."

"Told you," the blonde sighed heavily, getting into her own ready stance for a fight. "You know, I kind of liked these missions. I never had to deal with these monsters again but _now_. ..."

"I have new respect for whatever you go through," the redhead called, waving a hand up for a moment before it was back in the machine. "Now, if we ran into _Licorice's_ usual enemies, I might just piss myself."

"Don't call me Licorice," the black-haired girl guarding the redhead snapped.

"Yes, oh fearless leader, I will follow your commands to a tee, Powdered Sugar," the redhead quipped. Nightwing could just hear the smirk. The black-haired girl glared at him, shooting a small bit of green energy into the boy's ass. Nightwing smirked as said redhead yelped. It was painful how that redhead kind of reminded him of Wally.

"You might want to shut up with the quips, Carrot-Top, and focus more on that machine," the blonde called out.

"I'll be—Dani!" the redhead yelled, pulling back. Nightwing was just able to watch as the black-haired girl formed a green bubble of energy around them as the platform exploded. It rocked the area and Nightwing had to duck behind the already crumbling rooftop to stay safe. When it was done, he peeked out to see the black-haired girl lowering her arms and the green bubble receded. The redhead got to his feet unsteadily from where he was curled up on himself, reaching into his bag to pull out a bow and arrows. The blonde was crouched on the street, her shield pointed to the blast to protect her. The brunet had part of the street surrounding him, then it was back into the ground with his arms lowered. Nightwing was impressed by how quickly they had recovered from the explosion, along with how quickly they seemed to respond to protecting themselves from shrapnel.

"Caspar, you're with Nevi," the black-haired girl commanded, jabbing her thumb at the blonde. The redhead nodded and ran off to join the girl. The black-haired girl went to join the brunet. And just in time as fourteen big black dogs Nightwing had faced the first time this mess had happened emerged from the shadows at the street's entrances. There were seven on each side, growling loudly and frothing at the mouth. Nightwing grew nervous, wanting to help out even if he was useless, but he needed to see how these teens handled this. He wanted to understand how they were so efficient in how they went about this. It was something that could help his whole team and stop people from coming back so injured. Tim still wasn't allowed to leave the med-bay with his leg injury, afraid if he moved he might tear his main artery until there was more healing at the moment.

So Nightwing sat back nervously, watching the teens fight.

The blonde and redhead seemed to have a good system. She weaved in and out of the creatures, slashing with her glowing blade and the monsters seemed to start to bleed with the yellow dust where the cuts were made. A few even exploding. Glowing bronze arrows rained down on the monsters from the redhead who stood a distance away, constantly moving so the monsters couldn't lay a claw on him. It was a system that almost reminded Nightwing of Wally and Artemis fighting. Almost. There was a difference in a way, with the way they moved and how they kept exchanging quips and laughed. Artemis and Wally had done the same, but there was still an air of professionalism that these teens lacked at the moment. It was like the fight was for fun, for mere kicks even if moments before the girl had expressed her dislike for the situation.

Focusing his gaze on the other two, Nightwing had to blink. The black-haired girl was replaced with a white-haired girl dressed in a black and white jumpsuit exposing her abdomen. Said girl was flying around at speeds Nightwing could only dream to achieve on his motorcycle, firing green blasts from her hands, feet, knees, and elbows. She fought viciously, no restraint showed as she punched and kicked the monsters. The boy was weaving through the monsters as if they were mere obstacles. His hands and feet moved in some style of martial art while bronze metal followed his movements, slicing through monsters to have them explode into dust.

Watching them fight made it seem like hours with Nightwing watching each of their movements when it was only minutes.

The monsters were all crumbled into yellow dust and the four met back up at the platform, the white-haired girl having rings shooting out from her waist and parting to reveal the black-haired girl again. Nightwing blinked before shrugging it off. The superhero life had led to him being unsurprised by most anything. It was quiet in the night except for their panting as the redhead put his weapons away, the brunet shoved the metal into the pocket of his jeans, and the blonde flicked her left wrist and the shield shrank as she pressed a button her sword and the blade retracted into the hilt.

"What happened?" the black-haired girl asked, more like ordered, as she kicked a piece of burnt metal of the platform away.

"They're onto us," the redhead answered immediately. "Had a bomb rigged in the mechanism, knowing how I usually dismantled these things. We're going to have to go slower now, something they want, encase we run into more bombs."

"But they would willingly sacrifice one of these? No offense, but that doesn't sound incredibly villainous," the brunet scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Maybe the bomb was centered into the old mechanism and to shoot upwards while they created a new one deeper into the ground," the blonde suggested.

"Sounds feasible," the redhead mused out, turning to the brunet. "Can you check?"

"Uh-huh," the brunet muttered, kneeling down again and placing his hand on the asphalt. His eyes closed and Nightwing watched as all were still and silent for a good minute before the boy was back up. "There's another one and there's no way I can bend it since it's platinum."

"How'd they guess you can't bend platinum?" the redhead asked.

"They might not know he can bend at all and it was a lucky coincidence that the metal is platinum," the black-haired girl stated, crossing her arms. "Caspar, you and I will get to this new part and you twill stand guard."

The blonde and brunet nodded as the black-haired and redhead descended into the machine. Nightwing blinked as he just watched the two teens pace around the vicinity. He was tempted to go down and talk to them, but he still wanted to observe this new group of fighting teens who had more knowledge of what was going on than the League itself.

"What monster do you hope we don't face?" the brunet asked, a piece of metal twirling and forming in between his hands as his fingers twitched, his gaze focused on the entrances to the street and occasionally the sky.

"Gryphons," the blonde answered immediately. Nightwing blinked at that. He honestly wasn't expecting that answer and it seemed neither did the brunet as he stared at the blonde.

"Why?" the brunet asked.

"They always seem to target me more than the other monsters," the blonde sighed, fingering her sword hilt. "Just to fight them in their own turf, I had to ask Dad for a pair of his flying Converses. Of course, that came with helping him make deliveries to his clientele, but it was wroth it."

"Do you have those Converses with you?" the brunet asked. Nightwing smirked a little when the girl scoffed.

"Course I do, and they're magically bound to change to always fit my feet perfectly. No way can I grow out of these suckers," the blonde said, wagging one of her feet outwards. It looked like the brunet was about to reply before both paled. The brunet lunged towards the blonde and once he was near her, raised his arms in a jerky motion. Earth surrounded them straight from the asphalt as the platform blew again. Nightwing was shoved back from the force of it all and when he was able to get back up after mentally checking that he was definitely okay, he was shocked to see the earth structure still in place, peppered with shrapnel from the explosion. It lowered easily, the shrapnel clattering to the desolate street, and the blonde and brunet stumbled to the platform as the redhead and now white-haired girl phased through the asphalt and joined them, reforming to solidity as the girl shifted back into her black-haired form.

Nightwing blinked at the display of powers. Sure, he hung around superheroes with crazier abilities, but it was obvious two of these teens were powered. And by the way they handled situations, they knew how to use their gifts to the point there might not be anything else they needed to be taught. Which was unnerving considering how young they were and Nightwing could only wonder how much training those two had to go through. But then he remembered how the blonde handled her sword and shield and how the redhead was familiar with a bow. It was disconcerting that all four had to have been trained to a high level of advancement that even some Leaguers and villains didn't receive.

Looking over the side of the roof, Nightwing went back to staking out the teens.

* * *

Danielle did not like this.

The platform had exploded _twice_. The first time was somewhat small and with Caspar shouting, she was able to get a dome up around them. The second time had been faster and more chaotic. It was a bigger explosion and she bet it nearly took her friends out. Danielle just had time to shift into her ghost form and turn her and Caspar intangible when her friend had exclaimed that there was another bomb over the Fenton Phones. She had seen the way the earth was disrupted when she and Caspar were coming back to the surface, but it did not collapse inwards since parts of the metal interior of the machine seemed to keep it up just enough. That did not mean the ground was still steady and she silently led her friends away from the area, standing hopefully in a more secure place. One look at Michi and he nodded that it was.

They needed a new plan to deal with these platforms now. It was obvious Caspar would have to dismantle not only the top part, but also the second. Danielle wouldn't be able to leave him alone now. She'd be his backup to keep her friend safe, leaving Nevidebla and Michi to fight the monsters above ground. Danielle was just happy that many situations had come up where the pairing ups they had made usually ended up differently. The situation in dismantlement would end up being rigid unless something drastic happened. Nevidebla and Michi would guard the outside while Danielle and Caspar went inside the machine to have Caspar work his magic on the machinery.

"What now?" Michi asked, voicing what Danielle knew her friends and teammates wanted to know.

"We keep doing this but we've got to approach this differently," Danielle answered.

"If I can get some tech to help me detect bombs better we'd more than likely have more time," Caspar said, looking over at the burnt and crumbled metal of the machine. "This world has different chemical compounds than what I'm used to or come across in other worlds."

"Why not use the material you gathered from these machines?" Michi asked.

"It's either a piece of crap that I thought had promise or it won't be adaptable to what I want to do with it," Caspar answered, shaking his head. "Besides, the tech's not specifically made to detect chemical compounds. I need tech made for that so I don't have to go in and program it myself because that would mean I'd have to know about all the different compounds that are available in this universe, which I don't."

"Where can we find this tech, then?" Danielle asked. She was intrigued on how they could get all the material Caspar needed then, especially if her friend didn't know what he needed from this world exactly.

"S.T.A.R Labs or WayneTech," Nevidebla answered with ease. Danielle blinked, a little shocked her friend had known but reprimanded herself internally. Nevidebla had read D.C. comics and the packet. Of course she knew the places they could get this tech.

"Uh, both are bad ideas," Caspar said.

"Not really," Nevidebla sighed, rubbing at her arm in the cold air. Danielle cringed a little, realizing they were having this conversation in the cold of a December night. She might not have been affected, having some ice powers (resilience to the cold and frostbite along with her ghost sense) but not to the degree that Danny did. But Michi, Nevidebla, and Caspar would all feel the biting cold Danielle could not. Their breath fogged int he air, spiraling upwards in trails of white.

"What do you mean?" Danielle asked, concerned. She felt like the name Wayne was very familiar. Something about the universal knowledge that came from D.C. comics. It wouldn't even matter that Danielle was an avid Marvel fan, she should know it.

"S.T.A.R. Labs is practically watched by the Justice League. It's their failsafe lab. Send something there to get analyzed and such. WayneTech is owned by Bruce Wayne aka _Batman_ ," Caspar said, emphasizing the superhero's name. Danielle's blue eyes widened as she brushed her pesky black bangs from her gaze. That _was_ bad. Even Danielle would never mess with Batman despite knowing little. He was just badass enough even a dedicated Marvel girl would know what a bad idea it was to steal from WayneTech would be. Even stealing from S.T.A.R. Labs would bring the big-old bat down on them.

" _But_ ," Nevidebla said quickly, stepping forwards, "it's a guarantee they have the tech we need."

"You want us to steal from _Batman_ ," Caspar snapped.

"No, _I_ want to steal from Batman. You three don't have to get involved. I'll be in and out before they even realize I took something," Nevidebla countered.

"Do you even know what tech I'd need?" Caspar asked, sounding slightly smug. Nevidebla glared at him. Danielle sighed, sensing an impeding argument about to happen.

"No, but you can work with just about anything," Nevidebla answered, waving her hand through the air, the tanned appendage passing through their misty breath. "I bet I could get you a rusty old cash register and you'd be able to use it. All I'd have to do was make sure it's preprogrammed to detect chemical compounds, which isn't so hard to find out."

Caspar opened his mouth as if to snap back at her, but closed it seconds afterwards, going into a state of contemplation. Danielle smirked a little at that. It was nearly impossible to get the redhead to be even slightly speechless.

"Uh, I'm confused," Michi said, drawing all three attentions to him. "Who is Batman?"

"Sorry, we forgot," Caspar said, cringing a little, snapped out of his state for a moment.

"Batman is one of the Founders of the Justice League. He is the vigilante of Gotham, the city we're in. He may not have superpowers but being a billionaire leaves him filthy rich enough to have these badass gadgets created to help him out. The man is basically paranoid enough he has contingency plans to take down the whole Justice League and any hero encase they go rogue, along with constantly saving superheroes _despite_ him being entirely human with no supernatural abilities," Nevidebla answered, shrugging a little and looking around the place. "Along with the fact he deals with the most psychotic villains around. The Joker is a perfect example."

"Who's the Joker?" Michi asked and Danielle cringed. Evens he knew about the Joker and did _not_ want to encounter the mad clown anytime soon while they were staying in Gotham.

"We'll tell you later, man," Caspar said, reaching over and patting Michi's shoulder before looking back at Nevidebla. "If I can work with a rusty old cash register, than why are you suggesting you break into WayneTech."

Danielle sighed. Apparently Caspar had found his second wind.

"Because the rusty old cash register wouldn't even be half as amazing if you had the real deal," Nevidebla answered honestly. "You _need_ good tech for this, right? Advanced tech that can help you register these explosives and foreign chemical compounds? The best way to get that is to get it from the leading enterprise housing such tech: WayneTech."

"Nevi, you do realize what you are saying could get you sent to juvie, or worse, _jail?_ " Danielle asked.

"Worse would be Arkham, and I do know, Dani," Nevidebla answered, wearing down and looking as tired as Danielle was starting to fell. They all looked tired, Danielle noted. Danielle herself was gaining bags beneath her eyes and a constant tiredness rested in her limbs, clinging down to her bones. Caspar looked sicker and paler than ever before, and bags the shade of angry bruises hung beneath his green eyes. Michi constantly cramped up when they took rests, having to stretch each muscle five times before he even remotely went to sleep fro fear of waking up in agonizing pain. And even then, it still occurred to her tough-as-nails friend. If he was breaking from overwork, she didn't want to know how Nevidebla was doing. And that was the person Danielle was most worried about. Nevidebla was waking up from constant nightmares, her bags were just as dark as Caspar's on her tanned face, and sometimes her arms shook at the most random of times.

This was taking its toll on them.

"Nevi, are you _sure?_ " Danielle asked, making sure her friend was absolutely serious about this.

"We need the tech," Nevidebla said, looking ready to cry for some reason. "Don't you understand? What we're doing now is only the beginning. This is just testing the waters to those sick bastards. Soon platforms will be _everywhere_ and then the real war is going to begin. What we're doing now is slowing the chance for war to begin down until we come up with a way to stop it entirely before it even starts. We can't just go on like we are. We gotta adapt and if that means snatching tech from Batman of all people, I'm game."

"It's suicide," Caspar argued, but Danielle could see his resolve crumbling. Even she would admit it was starting to chip away. She didn't want to send her best friend into this, but Nevidebla was an amazing thief. Her dad was the god of thieves for crying out loud! If anyone stood a chance in stealing from Batman, it was the hazel-eyed girl in front of Danielle.

"Some things are worth incarceration for," Michi said, adding in his own two cents, looking over at Nevidebla. "I say we let her go through with it. We can stay on the outside and Nevi can radio in if she needs help."

This was why Danielle had made Michi her second. Despite his cluelessness towards most tech and his ignorance to most of the common knowledge about this world, he always knew what was best. Michi knew what the hard decisions were and knew that sometimes, he had to stand by them, even if he didn't want to. Meeting his steely gaze, Danielle knew he didn't want to send Nevidebla into WayneTech either, but he knew it was their only option at the moment. There was no way they could just go Batman without more evidence on who was doing this. Danielle knew that Nevidebla had her theories. Her friend could connect dots faster than most others, but Nevidebla was known for wanting evidence before she said her thesis. And Danielle was a little the same and knew if they needed anything when it came to Batman, it was a presentation of evidence pointing that Vandal Savage and Darkseid were behind this.

"Do you know where it is?" Danielle sighed heavily, shagging her shoulders.

"Come on, we can catch a bus, hopefully," Nevidebla said, walking down the street. The other three followed behind her, not notching the black Kevlar-mess-clad figure following them.

* * *

 **December 8, 2016  
02:24 EST  
One Block from WayneTech, Gotham City**

It wasn't long before the four friends were unloading from a bus. Danielle was shocked that they ran this late but was reassured by Nevidebla it had to be normal. Gotham City was one of the most dangerous cities out there that the bus system more than likely ran shifts twenty-four-seven in hopes of helping civilians out just a little bit more. The only problem that could happen was if a villain was let on or the bus driver was corrupt. And considering it was Gotham, Danielle had a feeling the percent for such occurrences were higher than Nevidebla was making them to be.

"I think that driver thought we were drug dealers," Michi stated as they got onto the quiet sidewalk, grimacing as he leaned down to rub his left knee. Danielle cringed, feeling guilty. She usually forgot her second was an amputee. He carried himself as if he was whole that only when he started to rub his knee did Danielle remember. When she looked over at Caspar and Nevidebla, the two were also cringing in guilt. At least she wasn't the only one.

"How's it holding up?" Danielle asked, motioning a hand to Michi's leg.

"Just hates drastic climate changes," Michi sighed, rubbing his hands for friction. "That bus was the warmest thing we've been in since that Walmart back in Philadelphia. I'll be fine in a moment."

"And how could we be drug dealers?" Nevidebla asked, snorting dismissively. "If anything, we're little thieves come to steal some mega loot."

"Isn't that what we are at the moment?" Michi asked. Nevidebla smirked, it looking more feral than anything. It was times like that that Danielle wondered how her friend had grown up. Usually, Nevidebla was sarcastic, out of control, brash, and knowledgeable. But there were moments a more animalistic side of her shown through and Danielle knew it wasn't something she inherited from her dad. Nevidebla had gone into extensive discussions how the gods and goddesses were not, in anyway, pure on animalistic that their kids would gain such attributes. Whatever had made Danielle's friend be somewhat feral was nurtured from her birth and honed as years went on. It was suppressed mostly, otherwise Danielle wouldn't be so frightened by that smirk, but when it came out, it even scared Michi on occasion.

"Precisely," Nevidebla said, looking over at the towering figure of WayneTech. "Does it look weird to you, Cas?"

Danielle blinked and turned to look at the building. A few floors had their lights on while others were completely out. Something that would be common at around two in the morning. Other than that simple fact, there wasn't anything that was entirely out of the ordinary. No smoke, no broken windows, no dark figures sneaking around the building. Everything was normal.

"Yeah," Caspar said, staring at the building with some amount of intensity that Nevidebla was. Danielle exchanged a look with Michi and saw her friend was just as confused as she was. "Doesn't WayneTech have a twenty-four hour workforce?"

"Yeah," Nevidebla answered.

"Shouldn't there be more lights on?" Caspar continued.

"I think so," Nevidebla responded.

"It's only four floors," Caspar said.

"Not enough," Nevidebla said and Danielle rescanned the building. Finally, she noticed how strange the lights that were on were. It was four floors in the same vicinity towards the top of the tower. Not even the bottom levels were on. The first level wasn't even on, striking a cord in Danielle. "The first floor isn't even on. That's not normal for any building that has a twenty-four hour workforce."

"Do I want to know how you know that's normal?" Michi asked. Nevidebla just shook her head in the negative.

"Something's not right but there aren't any alarms. We'd have heard them from all the way over here," Nevidebla said, looking confused.

"It's nearly impossible to break into WayneTech," Caspar whispered, sending a meaningful look towards Nevidebla. "Whoever's doing this has either amazing thieving skills or tech skills. Due to the building lights, I'd say tech."

"We should investigate," Danielle said, walking forwards. "And if they don't need our help, Nevi can still steal some tech that Caspar needs."

"And now you're down with stealing?" Caspar asked. Danielle sighed and looked at the redhead.

"We all agreed on this. But with you two pointing out the anomalies of the building, even I'm getting worried and antsy. All we're going to do is check it out and if we can help, we help. If it's just a false alarm, we'll already be in the building and can snatch what you need Caspar. All four of us will be in there then and you can make sure we grab what you really need," Danielle said, continuing with her walking. She could hear her friends racing to catch up with her and walked beside her in a group. The blue-eyed girl was cautious as they walked and she knew her friends were doing the same. They had ran into one too many people who tried to mug them, rape them, or just outright beat the shit out of them. Of course the four teens could handle themselves, but they'd rather avoid this while they made their way to WayneTech.

When they were at the building's entrance, Nevidebla immediately went over to the lock on the door while Caspar pulled out his tablet. It wasn't needed as Nevidebla pulled the door open. Danielle stopped and stared. That shouldn't have happened. Even if Danielle just knew the bare bones of Batman, she knew he would never leave the front door to his company unlocked in the most unsavory town in America. She knew Michi understood it, too, as he stiffened behind her.

The four teens preceded with caution. Darkness gathered around them, practically smothering them. With a combination of Nevidebla's glowing sword and an ecto-blast generated in Danielle's hand, they had enough light to not trip on anything and make sure they went up the right amount of flights of the staircase. Right outside of the door for Floor Level 43, Danielle felt it. That icy chill that crept from her lungs, tickling her throat along the way, to be released by her opened mouth. It came out a slightly glowing blue in the dark stairwell as it swirled in the air for a bit before dissipating. But it was there long enough for her friends to notice.

Caspar pulled out an ecto-gun. Michi reluctantly extracted the Jack o' Nine Tails Danielle had been adamant he have. Nevidebla activated her wrist rays after putting her sword away. Danielle went ghost as the rings appeared around her waist and split to move upwards and downwards to expose her white-haired, toxic green-eyed ghost half. Danielle handed a thermos from her pack to Michi who seemed relieved at the sight. Metal-bending or earth-bending weren't helpful in a ghost fight and they all knew it. Which usually left Michi on thermos duty, not that the brunet ever complained about it.

It was unanimous on if they were ready. They all linked hands and Danielle turned them all invisible and intangible as they entered the floor. A long hallway greeted them but a glow beneath a door had Danielle dragging her friends to it. She kept them all intangible and walked through the door and wall, returning them back to tangibility once they were on the other side.

The sight that greeted her was annoying. There was Technus with his white hair slicked on the top but still had that mullet vibe. His outfit consisted of a black trench coat with a long silver cape billowing behind him. Two tiny black screens replaced his eyes and his skin was green. An aura surrounded him along with telekinetically moving electronics shimmering in a light around them. And the ghost was cackling manically in the center of the whirlwind of tech.

"It is I, Technus, Master of all things Electronic—" the ghost began but never finished before a green shot struck him in the back. He spun around, face forming into a confused glare. "Who dares shoot at Technus!?"

"People who know how to speak in first person," Danielle muttered under her breath. She could feel Nevidebla's hand tighten around her own and knew her friend was restraining her raucous laughter. Danielle knew Caspar too, even if she wasn't gripping his hand and Michi was tapping her hand to let her know they should get rid of Technus soon. And yet again Danielle was happy to have him as her second in cases like these. Even she got carried away.

Technus was still looking around and when his back was facing them again, Danielle released Michi's and Nevidebla's hands. The four friends split immediately, finding their own hiding spots, Danielle going invisible again. Caspar had found a hiding spot with a computer monitor facing him. She saw her friend take the keyboard connected to the computer and started to work. Danielle looked back at Technus to see he had went back to soaking up any information in the computers or just to damage them with a virus. Caspar was probably going to upload the counter virus to attack Technus but he would need cover.

" _I'll handle Technus the most. Nevidebla, Keep Caspar covered. Michi, be ready to suck him up_ ," Danielle commanded into her Fenton Phone. She got affirmatives and floated from her spot and lost her invisibility. Charging up an ecto-blast, Danielle flung it at Technus's back, drawing his attention back to her.

"Ah, child, I did not know that ..." Technus stopped his rant and stared at Danielle. "You have gotten younger, child, and have become female."

Danielle groaned, "You're thinking my cousin, Technus."

"So it would seem," Technus said before flashing a shit-eating grin at Danielle. "But that just means you are not prepared to battle I, Technus, Master of all things technological! Face you immediate doom from my ... Monitor 3.2!"

"What?" Danielle asked as computers formed together. Unfortunately, the one Caspar was working on was taking, eliciting a noise of indignation as it was pulled into the mass of computers. A type of robot made of computer screens and monitors rose up and sent a smashing hand to Danielle who immediately rolled out of the way. Springing back up to her feet, Danielle launched ecto-blasts at her assailant and vaguely noticed Nevidebla attacking Technus opposite the way of where Caspar was. Michi had taken her place in guarding their techie who had found another computer. The metalbender wielded the Jack o' Nine Tails and an ecto-gun. The thermos hung from a belt loop as he stood poised and ready to fight if need be.

Taking a running leap, Danielle roundhouse kicked the technological monster's head, charging her whole shin and foot with ecto-energy. It was an ability she was proud of. Danny could never do it and she always showed it off when she could. It might have taken many tries—most ending in destructive yet hilarious failures—and more concentration than most thought Danielle had, but she managed to accomplish her goal.

Her ecto-charged leg exploded the thing's head and with more charged punches and kicks, it was a pile of destroyed computers in moments. Danielle turned her burning green gaze to Technus in time to see him snaking a cord crackling with electricity towards Nevidebla. The ghost girl opened her mouth to inform her friend, to tell her best friend to _move_ , but she wasn't fast enough. Nevidebla screeched as her body raced with electricity, collapsing to her knees as blue electricity crackled about her body, burning her. Danielle saw green as she attacked Technus.

The ghost was momentarily surprised when the white-haired girl attacked with a vicious vigor that Danny Phantom had never shown him. Her attacks were relentless and left the ghost cut and damaged. Dark green bruises formed on his face and his side leaked ectoplasm. His cape became torn and burned. When Danielle was ready to send the finishing blow, he was encased by bright blue light and sucked into a thermos. Breathing heavily, Danielle glared at his stretched face and found the relief of being sucked into a thermos than facing her. It left her unnerved. She tried to hide her more vicious side, something she knew Danny most certainly did _not_ have, but it came up more often than she would like.

Turning away from Michi and Caspar, she flew to Nevidebla's prone form. Smoke was curling off her body and the blonde was curled so her legs were tucked underneath her and her forehead rested on the floor. Her hands gripped the sides of the red jacket, some parts still smoldering and she was breathing raggedly. Danielle laid her cool hands on any burns she could find on her friend's back, her mind racing. She barely knew first aid. All she knew was how to treat simple wounds, not burns from electricity. Nevidebla was shaking violently beneath Danielle's hands, as if electricity was still coursing through her body.

"Michi! Caspar! A little help!" Danielle called out, panicking a little. Okay, she was panicking a lot. But could anyone blame her? Her friend was injured beyond anything they had dealt with. There had been that incident where Michi had gotten caught in the way of a gorgon's claws a few days ago, but Nevidebla had healed him. She was the one who knew first aid and had been teaching Caspar. Danielle should have been paying attention to Nevidebla's lessons to the redhead of the group.

"Keep applying your hands to the burns," Caspar ordered, sliding down next to Danielle. He gently pulled Nevidebla's bag of her and opened it up, rummaging around. The boy pulled out a canteen and a first aid kit. Caspar knelt down and shifted so his face was close to Nevidebla's head. "Nevi, you gotta sit up. You need nectar."

"Hurts," Nevidebla whimpered and Danielle cringed visibly. She didn't know how to handle this. Nevidebla could stand pain to a certain point. Nothing as close to what Danielle and Michi could, but she had never whimpered before when she was injured. Not even when she broke her arm did she whimper, only silently cry as they had to rest the bones and wrap it in a cast.

"I know, Twinkie, but we can't help you until you sit up," Caspar said firmly, coaxing their friend to sit. Michi helped to keep her balanced a little more while Danielle kept her hands cooling her burns, glaring at the angry red flesh, the acrid scent of burnt flesh assaulting her nose.

Caspar went to work on getting Nevidebla to take sips of nectar. It was slow going until Nevidebla shook her head. They knew it meant she had reached her limit of nectar to heal her burns. But it didn't matter. The second-degree burns had become simple first degree on the pathway of healthy healing now and Caspar applied burn cream before wrapping the area tightly with bandages. Nevidebla had stopped whimpering and only flinched every time that Caspar tightened the bandages. He was done in moments and went about putting everything away. Michi grabbed hold of Nevidebla's bag and swung it up so he could carry it as Danielle switched to her human form. She reached around her friend gently and helped Nevidebla up, letting her lean against her. Just because she was healed didn't mean she wasn't tired. The leader noticed how Nevidebla's eyes drooped for a moment before her friend violently shook her head to stay awake.

"What now?" Caspar asked.

"We leave and find a safe place to hide out in before the cops come," Danielle answered. Caspar nodded and looked around the room before going to a computer. "What are you doing?"

"Not putting Nevi's sacrifice to waste," Caspar sighed, fingers flying across the keyboard as he inserted a flash drive. In a few minutes, something had been downloaded and Caspar removed it. Waving it, he grinned as he took some parts from the destroyed computers Danielle had beat relentlessly. "Well, we got some of what we came for, so let's go."

The four friends made for the door but were stopped by a voice.

"Not so fast."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note**

 **lumigo akvo9504: Oh, big time, and it's about to get worse.**

 **Nibra Ha Rishon: Thanks. I had fun writing that chapter, especially when I got to Technus. It was very easy to write his dialect considering he has a very distinct one. And like I've said before, updates are severely sporadic. Sometimes, it could be two days and others it might be more. Once school starts, I know the updates will become insanely infrequent and sparse, so I am trying to get as many out and prewritten for you guys as I can. But still, thanks for thinking the chapter was amazing. Means a lot.**

* * *

 **SIX**

 **Gryphon Cyclone**

 **December 8, 2016  
03:02 EST  
Floor 43 of WayneTech, Gotham City**

Michi stared at the man in front of him. He was young, maybe just starting college. He wore a black skin-tight suit with a blue bird across the chest with wings stretched outwards. Black gloves covered his hands and black combat boots rested on the floor. His arms were crossed over his chest and Michi could just make out his belt. It was sleeker than Caspar's but seemed to have the same function for carrying many things within pockets. The most disconcerting thing was the domino mask covering his eyes.

"Nightwing," Caspar whispered, a tremble entering his voice. Michi looked over at his friend to see him shaking. For the most part, Michi knew each of them was brave and it was hard to rattle them. Danielle freaked out about vampires, Nevidebla reacted viciously to gryphons, Michi himself couldn't stand the thought of saws, and Caspar had an unshaking dislike for authority figures. Heroes, Michi finally concluded, were authority figures and that would not end well with Caspar. They had to work _with_ authority figures to save this world. And if Caspar knew what was good for him, he'd keep his mouth shut and only give out information.

Michi wanted to laugh all of a sudden. Caspar had loved heroes, always chatting about the D.C. heroes with Nevidebla any chance he got. But now that they were in this world, it seemed to dawn on his redheaded friend that these people were authority figures. Michi vaguely wondered how long a truce was going to last with their ticking time bomb.

"Well, shit," Danielle spoke, snapping Michi out of his thoughts. "Um ... this isn't what it looks like?"

It sounded like a question to Michi's ears and he noticed how nervous Danielle was, keeping their downed friend upright while her body showcased her nerves. This was a horrible situation and Michi knew it. They were all tired and wanted to find a good safe place to curl up and sleep. They had taken apart five of those platforms and then had the brilliance of insanity to break into WayneTech for parts for something to help them detect bombs they had found in the fifth platform. All of them had fought, ran, rested, and kept moving tonight. They were all sore and ready to collapse.

"It looks like you four broke into WayneTech and stole some parts and information," Nightwing said. Caspar shifted his feet as Michi's eye began to twitch. His leg was killing him and he needed rest immediately. Just to take the prosthetic off and let the skin of his stump breathe. He was used to movement, constant movement, but he was just so tired tonight. The constant fighting and dismantlement was getting to all of them. He knew it.

"Well, that was the original reason," Danielle sighed, shifting a little and making Nevidebla whimper, which was strange because Nevidebla _never_ whimpered or showcased pain or fear. Michi snapped his head over and saw Nevidebla staring past all of them towards the window of the lab. Slowly turning his head towards the window, Michi jumped back. There was a lethal looking gryphon right outside of the window. It just had to be a gryphon. The head was like an eagle's and its feathered wings stretched out in a huge wingspan that dwarfed anything that Michi had seen before. The front legs ended in sharp and gleaming bronze talons while the back legs were black panther paws with sparking bronze claws. Its tail whipped around behind its back as if agitated. Glowing red eyes zeroed in on Nevidebla and with a screech, it broke the glass.

Michi reacted first.

He thrust his hand forward and felt that familiar twinge in his body as the Celestial bronze that Nevidebla had given him sang through the air and thrusted itself deep into the gryphon's chest. It exploded into dust upon impact. Usually, bending wasn't so taxing on his body, but the night was tearing him down and his stump was aggravated. He just wanted blissful rest.

"More are gonna come," Nevidebla mumbled softly, standing up slowly and stumbling a little. Danielle had her hands hovering over their friend. "Need to move."

"We will, but you are _not_ walking," Danielle ordered, glaring at their friend. Nevidebla waved her hand and made a dismissive noise in the back of her throat.

"Had worse, fought worse," Nevidebla answered. Michi gave her a disbelieving look along with Caspar. "Two wars."

Michi gave a reluctant nod to that. He was about to participate in war campaigns in three years when he turned eighteen, sooner if his dad had his way. He was not looking forward to it.

"Dani, we might as well let her," Michi sighed, looking at the blue-eyed girl who was glaring at him. "If she collapses, we'll carry her. You got that, Nevi?"

Sometimes he wondered where he got the confidence to order people around or help Danielle realize what their next move should be.

"Fine," both girls chorused at the same time. Michi smirked as Caspar let out a low chuckle.

"You four know how to deal with these creatures?" Nightwing asked, interrupting their moment of teamship (if that was even a word).

"Now's not a good time for this," Danielle said, taking charge and Michi was relieved. He never did like being leader unless he had to. "We get somewhere safe, we might talk."

"Why should I make deals with common crooks?" Nightwing asked and Nevidebla snorted.

"Come on, dude, we got in here. You of all people should know how hard it is to break into WayneTech," Nevidebla answered crookedly, sending a wolfish grin at Nightwing that wasn't as menacing as it could be with her current health state. Michi snorted a little. Nevidebla was pushing her luck if the slight ticked-off expression that flashed across Nightwing's face was anything to go by.

"Come on," Danielle snapped, moving towards the door to the stairway. Michi rolled his eyes and pushed Caspar and Nevidebla in front of him, taking up the rear of the group. Nightwing begrudgingly followed them as they descended the stairs.

"Why'd Technus show up?" Nevidebla asked, breaking the silence surrounding them.

"The Ghost Zone surrounds the worlds. With the link between two worlds becoming stronger, the area of the Ghost Zone that kept them separate becomes weak and allows ghosts to invade both worlds," Danielle answered, sounding like she was reading from a textbook. Michi smirked at the thought.

"So ghosts can attack my world?" Nevidebla asked, worry and fear entering her voice. She looked on the verge of panicking.

"No, they won't," Caspar spoke, directing even a curious glance from Danielle. "The link is one way. Whoever is behind this connection is making sure only those from Nevi's world come through while no one can go to her world. Which leads to the fact the link flows only one way like the electrical stream in Christmas lights. Ghosts will only come to this world now if they get sucked into the pull."

"And as the link strengthens ..." Nevidebla whispered, paling a little.

"The stronger the vortex that will suck ghosts to this world becomes," Michi finished, shuddering. Technus was enough for him, thank you very much. He did _not_ need to know more about Danny's enemies. He didn't even want to know the enemies Danielle might have made with her constant travels that could wind up here.

"We're screwed," Caspar groaned.

"We're just going to have to keep fighting and destroying those things until we find a way to stop it," Danielle sighed.

"Oh yeah, like that's easy," Nevidebla snapped, waving her arms around and teetering precariously for a moment. Michi reached over and helped to keep her steady. "Thanks."

"Nevi's got a point, Dani," Michi said, directing a look from their blue-eyed leader. "We can't do this alone. It's been three days and we're already being overworked. And we're only in one area of the United States. For all we know, there are inactive platforms in other countries on other continents."

He could see how his words affected Danielle. She stopped for a moment, her shoulders slumping with the weight. Michi knew she was trying to be strong, but everyone had a point when the weight became unbearable. He wanted to reach out and squeeze her shoulder, but he was near the back, being the line of defense between his friends and Nightwing if something were to set the hero off into attacking his friends.

"We're here, Dani," Michi said, causing the girl to look at him. "Don't bear this weight alone at the moment. We're all being affected and we're all struggling. The important thing is that we carry this weight together. It'll relieve it enough for all of us to carry."

"Yeah, listen to the Fortune Cookie," Nevidebla said, grinning widely as Danielle looked up.

"We're friends, not really teammates," Caspar added on, grinning widely. "We don't let each other fall."

Silence hung in the air and Michi internally wondered what Nightwing was thinking of this exchange. It had to be weird. One moment they're prepared to attack, then escaping WayneTech to get away from a potential gryphon fight, discussing why Technus was here, and then somehow wound up on the topic of friendship and how strong their bond was. Even Michi didn't know how their conversations and goals changed so quickly but he had a feeling it was because of Nevidebla's ADHD. And if not that, then he was at a lost for possible answers.

"We should get going," Danielle said, breaking the silence and heading back down the stairs. "We still have gryphons to worry about."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Nevidebla groaned, shuddering violently. Her face flashed with pain and Michi was there, a tight grip on her upper arm as he stayed close to her. Nevidebla didn't lash out at him as they kept walking, seeming grateful that he was holding her. That unnerved and worried Michi more. The blonde was known for pushing her injuries aside until they weren't fighting for their lives. If she was willing to let Michi help, even in the slightest, then she was more injured than she originally let on. He wanted to ask her what was in pain but remembered Nightwing silently walking behind them and kept his mouth shut. Michi knew he should be trusting heroes, but these were his friends and he wasn't going to trust complete strangers with information on them.

They made it about three blocks from WayneTech before they were swarmed. It was scarier for two reasons. One: the gryphons swarmed them in an endless cyclone of screeches, roars, claws, and razor-tipped wings. Two: Nevidebla had screamed so loud and high pitched in fright Michi had momentarily thought she had been stabbed or something. She hadn't even screamed this loudly or this frightfully when she was being electrocuted by Technus. Looking at his blonde friend, he could see her on the verge of a panic attack, her hand gripping her sword hilt in a grip much tighter than necessary, and her fingers were becoming white from the pressure.

Michi pushed his worry for Nevidebla down—no matter how difficult and how much it made him feel guilty—and focused on the cyclone of black and lethal gryphons. His stomach twisted, a sixth sense sang through the air around him, and metal moved. The Celestial bronze he had stashed in his pockets came flying out, forming into whips of sharp-edged metal, corresponding to his punches and kicks. It flew through the air, scraping and stabbing the gryphons. Glowing bronze arrows were added to the group from Caspar, exploding the monsters upon impact with his practiced blows. Danielle was firing her ecto-blasts with a little more juice than was really necessary. Nevidebla had seemed to calm down enough to attack the gryphons with her sword, occasionally using her knife when one got too close for comfort.

He barely paid attention to Nightwing struggling until the hero gave a gasp of pain.

Michi reacted instantly, covering the hero as he gripped his side. Rock that sprouted from the asphalt encased the hero as Mich launched himself on top of the triangular mound, moving instantly so whips of Celestial bronze hit every gryphon he could find. He ignored the twinging pain in his leg as he moved because if he focused on it, it could mean his death. It seemed like it was never going to end, the gryphons kept coming, the cyclone of black with some bronze. Yellow dust rained down to be replaced by more black. Michi could hear Nightwing panicking slightly inside of the rock formation he had created to protect the hero, and screeches from the gryphons kept attacking his ears.

Michi was becoming done with this fight. He was sick of fighting. He wanted rest; he wanted to let his stump breath; he wanted to fucking sleep for a week. Letting his anger out—and ignoring the almost unbearable pain in his leg—earth shot upwards, momentarily scaring his friends as Michi moved his hands together. The walls of earth slammed into each other, gryphons turning to dust around them. Any that survived were easily picked off by Danielle and Caspar. Nevidebla merely sat down, rubbing her side and her leg. Michi jumped off the rock formation and lowered it, revealing Nightwing who was bleeding from a side wound.

"You okay?" Michi asked, approaching the hero despite his leg protesting his movements, especially when he had jumped down. "You know, besides the obvious."

Nightwing snorted at that and got unsteadily back to his feet. Michi looked at the wound and nodded slightly. It wasn't bad but he wondered what had cut Nightwing. Celestial bronze would pass right through him like it did for Danielle, Caspar, and Michi. Even those with a meta-gene—as Nevidebla had called it—would pass right through the metal. The gryphons had claws and talons of Celestial bronze. It couldn't be from those. Maybe one bit him then. Their beaks weren't made of Celestial bronze which could easily lead to injury of anyone: regular human or demigod.

"I'll be fine," Nightwing sighed. Michi narrowed his eyes, seeing how deep the wound was. He probably didn't need stitches, but he did need disinfectant and to get it wrapped.

"Caspar, come here," Michi called, the redhead lifting his head from checking over Nevidebla.

"Why?" Caspar asked, eyeing Nightwing cautiously. Michi really wanted to laugh now but it would probably make him seem insane. And he was far from that, just tired.

"He's injured," Michi said, gesturing to the wound. "I don't think it needs stitches, but I'm not an expert."

Caspar nodded and examined the wound. Nightwing seemed a little miffed that teenagers were examining him for injuries, especially teenagers he had accused of being thieves just a few minutes ago.

"It won't need stitches, but I'll have to disinfect it and wrap it. At least he won't bleed out. It's not deep enough, but it will continue to bleed for a while yet until it starts to clot," Caspar said, pulling his bag off and digging around in it, pulling out disinfectant and gauze. Michi saw Caspar's green eyes momentarily light up with a mischievous gleam. Deciding he wanted nothing to do with what Caspar was planning to the hero, Michi made his way over to Danielle and Nevidebla who seemed to be arguing.

"Nevi, seriously, just let just look," Danielle snapped.

"I'm fine, Dani, honest," Nevidebla said, waving her hands about, looking worried.

"Fine my ass," Danielle argued, placing her hands on her hips. "You are holding your side."

"It's just from the electricity. Nothing serious," Nevidebla tried to reason. Michi scoffed, causing both girls to stare at him wide-eyed.

"I call bullshit," Michi stated. Nevidebla actually smiled, though it seemed forced and almost watery.

"Finally got you to curse like a normal person, huh?" Nevidebla asked, tilting her head to the side. Michi rolled his eyes.

"Nevi, what's wrong?" Michi asked, bending down to stare his friend down. He could tell Nevidebla was unnerved by both Danielle and him cornering her. Her didn't like it, knowing how Nevidebla could react in two possible ways. Either she would last our or come clean. At the moment, Michi bet Nevidebla would come clean. She was as tired as they were. Maybe more so considering she had to fight in a way Michi could never imagine himself doing so. He wouldn't be surprised if she was about to collapse right now.

"Pretty sure I bruised a rib or two and I think I got more damage than a first degree on my leg," Nevidebla sighed, scrunching her face as she rubbed her leg. "I think it's bruised down to the bone, too."

Michi nodded in understanding. Nevidebla was good at analyzing her own wounds but he still wanted Caspar to look at her. He looked over to see Nightwing scowling at a cheekily grinning Caspar. Shaking his head, Michi stood up and shrugged off Nevidebla's bag from his shoulders. Opening her bag up, Michi handed his blonde friend her own first aid kit. Nevidebla nodded and started to pull a compress out, pressing it against her leg even if her jeans obstructed it. She didn't look at anyone as she wrapped it up with gauze and did the same for her side.

"You think you can last a little longer?" Danielle asked, picking at a scab on her arm.

"Course I can," Nevidebla answered flippantly, even throwing in a dismissive hand wave. Michi rolled his eyes as Caspar walked over, saw the compresses, and said nothing related to those. He did, however, say something.

"Well, I think we should let Nightwing bring us in for questioning," Caspar stated. Danielle and Nevidebla were nodding but Michi was confused ... again.

"Why?" Michi asked, looking over at his friend, crossing his arms over his chest. It was unlike Caspar to readily hand himself over to anyone in authority. The only reason Danielle and Michi could tell him what to do was because they were his friends before they were his leader and the second-in-command of this ragtag group.

"He's the leader of the Young Justice team. At the moment, we need to work with them more than the League. They are the ones dealing with these platforms. We work with them, we have better resources and more hands," Caspar answered. Michi nodded and looked over at Danielle who was standing and helping Nevidebla up who had decided to carry her own bag now.

"What do you say, Dani?" Michi asked.

"We need the help," Danielle sighed, seeming to scan them all analytically. Michi knew it was to see how tired each of them were. Or, at least, how much these past few days had already taken a toll on them.

"So ... how do we broach this to Nightwing then?" Nevidebla asked, leaning on Danielle now, looking as if she didn't care anymore.

"You can take us in for questioning," Michi said, turning around and looking over at Nightwing. He had felt the vibrations of the man approaching them. The boots muffled his ability and Nightwing was light on his feet. Michi believed the only reason he had sensed Nightwing was because he was on high alert. The past few days had caused paranoia to settle deeply into his being.

Nightwing seemed shocked that Michi had sensed him but nodded curtly.

"I will have to ask you four to behave and be willing to separate for isolated interrogations," Nightwing said.

"We'll be fine with that," Danielle sighed. "But please, ask me the questions first."

Michi saw how confused Nightwing was by that statement but nodded anyway.

"I will also have to ask you and the brunet to wear inhibitor collars," Nightwing stated. Michi saw Danielle stiffen, Caspar's hands twitch for his bag, and Nevidebla to just widen her eyes. He really wanted to know what inhibitor collars did. Of course, he had a sense by the name, but really wished it wasn't true. He was lucky to escape the whole Amon business of wiping out any benders back home. To even lose touch with his earth-bending momentarily would more than likely have him freaking out.

"Put Michi's on after he sits in his interrogation room, please," Danielle said, trying to sound polite but anyone could hear the underlying threat in her words. Michi saw Nightwing's white-lensed eyes narrow before nodding stiffly. He was at least being accommodating. Michi would give him that.

"Come," Nightwing said. The four friends followed the masked superhero down the streets of Gotham. Michi wanted to laugh. They had to be a sight. Four teenagers following a superhero as if they were some criminals, especially with the glances Nightwing kept sending their way. They reached a broken down telephone booth. At least, Michi was sure it was a telephone booth. Some of these were starting to pop up around the major cities, especially Republic City.

"What do we do?" Danielle asked.

"Step inside one at a time," Nightwing commanded. Danielle sent him a look. "You and your injured friend can go together."

Danielle nodded. She and Nevidebla were the first to enter. Michi watched as Nightwing said some serious of letters and numbers, overriding something, and the two girls disappeared in a flash of light. It left Michi nervous. Caspar, however, was freaking out, sputtering out rapid-fire questions about the machine, the energy source, and everything else. Nightwing raised an eyebrow as if to ask who was next. Michi didn't hesitate to shove Caspar into the booth. He wasn't going to leave any of his friends along with the hero. He was still suspicious of him. Maybe it was because he had never gotten ahold of these comics like the others or at least had the bare bones of information like Danielle. But he learned to never trust someone immediately. It was why his friends were special. It had taken months for him to finally open up to them, and once he had, they weren't teammates anymore but actual friends.

"You'll come with me," Nightwing said, walking into the booth. Michi nodded stiffly and joined him. He didn't listen to Nightwing giving an order or the feminine robotic voice since he was more focused on not giving into the pain his left leg was emitting. One moment, they were standing in a disrepair phone booth, the next Michi felt a tugging sensation in his gut. It was almost similar to the pull he had when he earth-bended or metal-bended. And yet ... it was different. More prominent and made his whole body twist and contort in ways he believed a body shouldn't. He knew it lasted only seconds, but it felt like minutes. When they reappeared, Michi didn't pay attention to his surroundings, just zeroed in on his friends.

Nevidebla was sitting near a wall with Danielle standing close to her, eyes scanning the room. Caspar was in complete techie-freak-out mode. There was no hope of gaining him back until he either got bored (which was highly unlikely) or get all his questions answered (which was more likely). Rubbing his eyes, Michi walked over to his friends with Nightwing following, gritting his teeth against the stabbing pain his leg was giving him.

"Where to next?" Danielle asked, her voice finally showing how tired she was. Michi was on the verge of collapsing.

"This way," Nightwing said, directing them down a hallways. Michi could feel they were in a hollowed out mountain when he brushed his hand over the rock wall. People were sleeping ways away in furnished rooms. There were so many rooms in the place and all were to accommodate a team of young heroes to keep the world safe. Michi could feel the vibrations of snores and people in deep sleep. He could feel where the kitchen was (back near the main room, off a small hallway), where the training facility was located (three hallways away and the ceiling was so high Danielle could fly in it), and where the conference room was (one hallway down, third door on the right).

"Miss ..." Nightwing interrupted Michi's observations of the mountain. He snapped his attention over to Nightwing to see him gesturing to Danielle with the opened door.

"Danielle Fenton, but I prefer Dani with an I," Danielle answered. Nightwing nodded and pulled out a black collar with green bits of light.

"This might feel painfully weird and I'm sorry for that. It's for the safety of my team," Nightwing stated, a slight bitterness entering his voice.

Michi could understand that and wouldn't be so afraid to momentarily lose his earth-bending. If it was to keep a team safe, he understood that. He knew if he was in Nightwing's shoes, he would do the same.

The collar clicked around Danielle's neck and Michi watched in shock as her knees trembled. He was by her in an instant, keeping her steady as she gripped her head. Her breathing was ragged and it was taking everything in Michi to not lash out at Nightwing for causing his leader and friend such pain. Nevidebla, who had been transferred to Caspar sometime during their walking, looked ready to forgo her injuries and attack Nightwing. Only Caspar seemed nonplused by the scene, only looked forlornly as he kept a strong hold on Nevidebla.

"I'm fine, Michi," Danielle gasped out, getting to her feet unsteadily. Michi looked over at Nightwing and then at the door. The masked man nodded and Michi helped his friend to a seat in the room and helped her lower herself into it. As soon as her butt met the chair, Danielle had relaxed and leaned forwards, folding her arms and resting her head on them.

"I'm not looking forward to that," Michi sighed. Danielle laughed.

"At least I got him to agree to wait until you were sitting. I don't want to know what will happen when you lose connection to your leg," Danielle said, smirking tiredly. Michi nodded and headed out after ruffling Danielle's messy black hair. He was happy his friend had thought of his leg. He used his metal-bending to keep the foot of the prosthetic and the spring-coil to make it more flexible along with making it seem like he hadn't lost his leg in the first place. Once Michi was out, the door was closed and locked with a rush of air.

They crossed the hallway and left Nevidebla at a chair after she gave Nightwing her full name and what she preferred to be called. Nightwing had promised medical attention before they interrogated her when Michi had asked if they would interrogate an injured teenager. The room next to Nevidebla's was reserved for Caspar. He, too, had given Nightwing his full name before entering. Michi gave his friend a grin as he sat down in the chair before the door closed. Caspar simply made a face before smiling nervously. Then it was just Michi and Nightwing. They made their way back across the hall to the door next to Danielle's.

"Name?" Nightwing asked.

"Michi Yamauchi," Michi sighed as he walked in and sat heavily in the chair. Nightwing followed, holding out one of the black collars to Michi. Rolling his shoulders, Michi prepared himself for when the collar came in contact with his throat and was clasped shut. Instantly, Michi felt himself become dizzy as some part of him disappeared. He couldn't feel the metal of his left leg nor the vibrations that had let him know where everything was. There wasn't anything that would let him move a pebble even with all his concentration. He wondered if this was what all non-benders felt like. But he had to remind himself that they were born this way. They never had that connection and then it was severed. Only those who had their bending taken away by Amon would know this feeling.

"Get some sleep. We'll start tomorrow after we give all four of you food," Nightwing said. Michi nodded.

"Don't give Caspar anything with poppy in it," Michi said, looking at Nightwing. He's severely allergic."

"I'll make sure of it. Get some rest," Nightwing said, leaving the room. Michi slumped onto the table and despite the fact it was metal, his bending was cut off, his leg aching, and it definitely wasn't a bed, Michi feel asleep instantly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note**

 **I'm going to be blunt: August 15th is when I go back to school. And considering I'm going to be a senior this year, I can't concentrate on my stories as much as I would like. I'll be in three AP courses, a pre-calculus class, and other science related courses being I want to be come a veterinarian. All that piled on the fact my school does the eight periods a day thing every single day, I _need_ to be on top of my homework. And to top it all off, I'm doing this thing where seniors take on freshmen as kind of mentors. My class is so much smaller than the other classes, so I have at least three freshmen under my care. And then, to make it even better, I got volunteer work to do. So, yeah, once August 15th hits, expect really sporadic and slow updates.**

 **Now, on with interrogations.**

* * *

 **SEVEN**

 **Complicated Interrogations**

 **December 8, 2016  
07:34 EST  
Room A101 in the Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

Jaime stood near Conner in one of the few interrogation rooms that the new headquarters for the Team held. It was weird to be in one of the sparse rooms. All it contained was security cameras, a table, and two chairs. He never thought that these would be used before, yet alone he would in one instead of at school. Jaime didn't even know why his mom had gone along with it and called him out of school for being sick. He had expected her to throw him into school and irritate Nightwing to no end. But here he was. Jaime could only reason that Nightwing had said something that his mom either approved of or begrudgingly agreed to.

Now Jaime was in his Blue Beetle armor, a scanner on his arm that he kept pointed at the girl, Danielle Fenton. Nightwing had told him to keep a lookout for the energy signature that could point her to a different dimension. He wasn't going to start scanning her until Nightwing started the interrogation so she would be distracted by answering Nightwing and not by what Jaime was doing. Conner was here to make sure she wasn't lying or anything. Jaime was also going to be doing that with his continuous scans, explaining two was better than one at the moment. Conner had agreed, a small smirk on his lips when he had said it. That was the closest Jaime was going to get to a proud grin from the older member, so he took it.

Jaime looked at the girl and felt guilty for being a part of this interrogation. He understood it was for the greater good considering Nightwing said they were either foes or allies and they needed to distinguish it immediately. But no one should look as beat down as she did. Her black hair was pulled into a ponytail, oily strands escaping and kinking in weird ways. Half her bangs had been ruffled to stick straight up. Jaime had a feeling her sin wasn't as pale as it was at the moment, or as pasty. Her blue hoodie was covered in dirt and dust and her red jeans had a hold in the knee to expose a healing scab. It was hard to distinguish the color of the beanie in her hair, but Jaime would wager a guess that it was either red or pink. Bags hung underneath her sky blue eyes that still held a fighting vigor. The more shocking thing was the inhibitor collar around her neck. Bart had told Jaime how much those things drained someone and Jaime felt even worse since the girl had one on. She seemed to not notice it was there, holding her head up with dignity and her back was straight, hands on the table folded neatly.

"Hello Nightwing," Danielle said, grinning lopsidedly then turned her gaze on Conner and Jaime, eyes twinkling with amusement now. "Well, the one with the 'S' shield isn't Superman so I'm going with Superboy. And the black and blue one ... I feel like I should know you but I can't think of the name."

"Blue Beetle," Jaime provided. He didn't expect her lopsided grin to become a huge beaming smile, complete with white teeth being shown.

"Nevi's gonna flip. You're one of her top five favorite superheroes," Danielle said, chuckling a little before shifting around her seat and looking at Nightwing. "Ask away, blue bird."

Jaime nearly choked on his spit. Somehow, this girl had the audacity to call their leader blue bird. It took everything in Jaime to not start laughing uncontrollably, especially with the flash of incredulity and confusion crossing Nightwing's face. Even Conner was smirking lightly.

"How old are you?" Nightwing asked.

"Fifteen," Danielle answered easily.

"How do you know of these platforms?" Nightwing asked.

"My friends and I ran across the one you dismantled back in Philadelphia," Danielle responded with a shrug. "Then we ran off but found another not so far away that was inactive. Maybe a block or two away from the first. We went ahead and dismantled that one and stayed in Philly for a while to make sure we got all the other ones."

Jaime's eyes widened as the scanner became active. To know that there were more than one platform in a city unnerved him and made him feel insanely guilty. How many had they left behind? Would one start up again soon? Could there be inactive platforms not just in big cities, but even in the small ones? Were there ones in his hometown of El Paso that weren't activated yet? He'd have to start searching the abandoned and rundown sectors of his city now.

"How have you been traveling?" Nightwing asked.

"Bus, hijacked cars, the occasional train," Danielle answered honestly, looking guilty. "We were on a time crunch. Every town or city we arrived in we scoured. None of us wanted to steal a car or hop a ride on a freight car, but we had no choice. What little money we had went into bus tickets, food, clean water, and anything related to first aid."

 _Scan complete. Danielle Fenton is from a different dimension, but not the same one as the monsters. Her core temperature is in hypothermic regions and her heartbeat is low enough she should be comatose. A foreign substance is in her bloodstream, possible causing these strange readings. And there seems to be something holding her DNA together so she does not crumble. For the most part, it seems to have dissolved itself into the DNA, but there is still some that has not yet. If we were to destroy her, disrupting the substance holding her together would be most advisable._

Jaime wanted to snap that they wouldn't be destroying Danielle, but she didn't know that the Scarab talked to him. Conner and Nightwing knew but there was no need to seem like he was schizophrenic in front of the person they were interrogation. Or that the Scarab was telling him how to destroy her.

"How do you know so much about these creatures?" Nightwing asked and Danielle's shoulders seemed to shag.

"Nevi knows all about them. She tells us, we fight them, we kill them, and then we move on," Danielle answered seriously. "If you want specific information, you'll have to ask Nevi."

Nightwing nodded before continuing on, "Are you from this dimension?"

Danielle started before answering, "No. I'm not nor are my friends."

"How'd you come to this dimension then?" Nightwing asked.

"Our mentor, Clockwork, sent us. Your world was lost from his sight. As apprentices, we were to come here and see what was going on ourselves and help in anyway necessary. Our way was to help your team dismantle as many platforms as was necessary," Danielle answered with a heavy sigh. "Obviously, we weren't going fast enough or efficient enough. We're all tired and worn, even if none of us want to admit it."

"Then why are you?" Nightwing asked.

"I'm the leader," Danielle said, leaning forward to stare into Nightwing's lensed gaze. "If I have to risk my pride so all of us can get rest, I will. I look out for my friends and teammates and will give my life for them. Pride is useless when it comes to the health of teammates and friends."

Jaime was impressed by her mini-speech as she leaned back in her chair.

"Why were you stealing from WayneTech?" Nightwing asked. Danielle made a face.

"We needed the tech it had to detect the bombs that now seem to be planted in the platforms, along with the fact that they are now building a backup engine beneath the original with another bomb. Caspar has never ran into some of the chemical compounds you have in this world and he wanted to make a machine that would help him detect these chemical compounds and more than likely give him a quick rundown on how explosive the chemical is and how to defuse the bomb quickly," Danielle answered with a shrug. "It was in good intention. None of us liked the idea, not even Nevi, but it was all we could come up with. Besides, it was either WayneTech or S.T.A.R. Labs."

"I would have gone for S.T.A.R. Labs before WayneTech," Nightwing stated, smirking. Danielle smiled.

"Yeah, Caspar was trying to tell us that but Nevi gave good reasons to just steal from WayneTech despite all the ramifications that could happen if a certain someone found out," Danielle responded, sending a quick look at Conner and Jaime.

 _She does not lie but is holding something back. Use force to receive the full answer._

Jaime kept from responding that they wouldn't, no matter how much he wanted the information Danielle was holding back. All he did was keep a close eye on his armor and was happy to see nothing was forming into a weapon.

"Who was the green-skinned man attacking WayneTech?" Nightwing asked. Jaime perked up at this question. There was an attack on WayneTech? He exchanged a look with Conner who was just as confused as Jaime was.

"That was Technus," Danielle answered like it was simple. "Ghost of long winded speeches and third person dialogue."

"Ghosts?" Nightwing asked the elephant in the room.

"Ghosts exist, Nightwing, whether you want them to or not," Danielle stated, her voice growing serious and somewhat cold. "They aren't your typical see-through, no-harm-done ghosts. Those are actually apparitions, and yest, there is a different. A ghost's original state is tangibility, they can fly, they can become intangible, and they can become invisible. Some ghosts have more advanced abilities based off an obsession like Technus and technology. The guy can control all technology and electricity. He would be more dangerous if he didn't occasionally scream out his plans and monologue."

"How'd this ghost get here?" Nightwing asked. Danielle smirked now.

"Were you not paying attention to the discussion we were having when we left WayneTech?" Danielle asked sweetly, tilting her head as if to act innocent.

"So the way the platforms are working is creating a vortex in this Ghost Zone, sucking in any ghosts who are too close?" Nightwing asked. Jaime exchanged a look with Conner but it seemed the big guy was just as lost as Jaime was.

"Yes," Danielle sighed. "And before you ask, I have weapons your team can use and blueprints that I'm willing to give you."

"That's all," Nightwing said, standing up to leave.

"Nightwing," Danielle said, drawing his gaze—and ultimately Conner's and Jaime's—to her. "Be careful how you handle my teammates. Michi is cautious and untrusting of all of you. He didn't have the luxury of growing up reading comic books about you guys in his world. There is a fifty-fifty chance that he will give you personal information about himself. If he does, pray you don't misplace the information. Michi can be quite violent even if he doesn't seem like it. Caspar doesn't take well to authority figures and heroes _are_ authority figures. I advise you only let Blue Beetle in. He seems to be around our age. Caspar will respond well to him. And it helps he's covered in fancy tech. Caspar will overlook the fact he's some form of an authority figure and oogle at the tech. He'll be more open that way. Nevi will be the toughest. She has ADHD and will get off topic very easily. Along with that, she has this way of giving answers that are honest without giving anything away. Tell her I've told you of that and she won't do it."

Nightwing nodded as the three left the room.

* * *

 **December 8, 2016  
08:00 EST  
Room A102 in the Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

Jaime should be in his first period, discussing whatever they were in English class. Instead, he was in the next interrogation room with Michi Yamauchi. This kid was a strange one, though.

The first impression Jaime got was that he was relaxed. He was sprawled in his chair, legs extended out and arms crossed over his chest, head tilted back to the ceiling. He wasn't asleep considering his steel grey eyes were open and glaring at the ceiling slightly. His dark brown hair was messy, too, and the jagged ends were sticking together from grim and what Jaime feared was blood. His skin was olive and didn't seem to showcase how tired he was. There were barely any bags beneath his eyes when compared to Danielle. But the way he slumped his shoulders when he snapped his head up and the tilt of his head showed just how tired he really was. His clothes consisted of jeans with frayed ends, a shirt with mud caking the left side, and a black jacket with rip marks on the right side near his ribs. His black boots were firmly planted on the floor but Jaime noticed how he shifted his left leg a lot and grimaced. Probably an injury. In the end, Jaime noticed the inhibitor collar around his throat that kept beeping and flashing green lights, as if it was having difficulties restraining whatever was the boy's ability. As long as Michi didn't try to use his ability, he more than likely wouldn't get shocked.

"How old are you?" Nightwing asked after sitting down across from Michi. Jaime started the scan.

"Fifteen," Michi answered, his eyes not staying on Nightwing long but roaming to take in the room, Conner, and Jaime. Danielle wasn't wrong when she had said he was cautious and distrusting of them.

"How do you know so much of these platforms?" Nightwing asked. Michi raised an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure you asked this question to Dani and she gave you the honest answer of what happened in Philadelphia," Michi stated, crossing his arms. "Ask me some questions that you didn't ask Dani."

Jaime could see a twitch in Nightwing's forehead at that.

"What's your ability?" Nightwing asked. Michi smirked.

"Couldn't guess?" Michi asked stubbornly.

 _Scan complete. Michi Yamauchi is not from this dimension nor the monsters' nor Danielle Fenton's. He seems to be a regular human but with energy surrounding him and flowing through certain points in his body that gives him some ability I cannot detect due to the inhibitor collar. He is also missing the lower half of his left leg and the skin needs to breathe. Despite my displeasure of not eliminating the possible threat, I advise informing Michi Yamauchi he should remove his prosthetic before his amputation sight becomes inflamed and that will ultimately lead to him becoming bedridden for a few days._

Jaime was shocked that the Scarab was taking the initiative to keep someone in their custody safe, especially if he would rather have them be eliminated.

"Michi," Jaime spoke, interrupting whatever Nightwing was going to say. He got a glare from Nightwing and a cursory glance from Michi. It was unnerving to be on the receiving ends of those looks but continued on with what the Scarab had proposed for Michi. "You should remove your prosthetic before the amputation sight becomes inflamed and you'll become bedridden, _esé_."

Everyone stopped and looked at Jaime. He didn't like the stares he was receiving but restrained himself from rubbing his neck. Michi was the most unnerving. He seemed to be analyzing Jaime with his grey eyes before he bent down and rolled up his pant leg. Jaime could see the straps connecting the prosthetic to Michi's leg and as he unbuckled each one. It was unnerving to Jaime to see the prosthetic be lifted and placed on the table, still in the scruffy black boot he was wearing. The wound was surrounded by angry white scars and the skin was somewhat pink. Michi started to massage the area before giving Jaime another unreadable look.

"How'd you know?" Michi asked, his lips twitching to try and reveal something, but he kept it in place.

"Armor has scanners in it," Jaime answered honestly. Michi finally smirked as he looked at Nightwing.

"Caspar said you were trained by the world's leading detective but you didn't realize I was an amputee? How sad," Michi mocked. Jaime kept from laughing as Nightwing seemed to splutter a little. Even Conner had gained a full-blown smirk at Michi's observation.

"How'd you lost it?" Nightwing asked.

"Oh, a question you definitely didn't ask Dani," Michi said, grinning widely in the smuggest way Jaime had ever seen. Until it slipped off, replaced by some downward tilt that resembled sadness and hared all rolled into one. "Hmm ... my dad got mad at me one day. Simple as that. But then again, what I did was a whole lot bigger than the other rebellious things I had done ... apparently."

No one spoke. Jaime was shocked by the wording. How was that simple? His dad chopped off his leg! That wasn't simple! Looking for some form of backup with his thoughts, Jaime looked over at Conner who was seething. When he turned his brown eyes to Nightwing, it was hard to detect anger, but it was there. His hands were clenched into fists, there was a vein bulging in his neck, and he was taking in slightly deeper breaths than normal.

 _Michi Yamauchi does not lie._

That did not reassure Jaime when the Scarab informed him.

"Anything else?" Michi asked, leaning back in his chair, putting up another cocky façade.

"How old?" Nightwing whispered. Michi's face lost all sense of cockiness and his eyes seemed to become hollow. As if he was sucked back to a time he never wanted to remember.

"Ten," he stated.

"Why?" Nightwing asked. Jaime didn't want to know. He was already angry that Michi's dad had done this and at the age of ten no less!

"I helped out a nonbender. Apparently, I wasn't supposed to do that," Michi sighed, rubbing his face with a hand. "Dad ha a terrible prejudice against them, bordering on racism. He still has them, actually."

Jaime might not know what had gone on in Michi's world, all he knew was that if he ever met Michi's dad, he was punching him and maybe using the plasma cannon. To full lethality.

 _For once, you are correct Jaime Reyes. That man does not deserve to life if he was willing to chop off the leg of his own child._

Jaime kept his shock down that he and the Scarab briefly agreed on something. They had more of those moments recently, but most pertained to Jaime's way of peace, not violence. For them to agree on an approach that was quite violent was mind-blowing and slightly scary.

"Is there any information you can think that Danielle might have forgotten to mention?" Nightwing asked. Michi leaned back and looked deep in thought.

"I'm guessing she informed you about our mentor?" Michi asked. Nightwing nodded. "What we've been doing?" Nightwing nodded. "The stolen cars and train hopping?" Another nod. "The innumerous amounts of platforms in every city, but most are inactive?" Another nod followed by a slight scowl. "She more than likely informed you why we were WayneTech, who Technus was, and what ghosts are." Nightwing nodded. "I can't think of anything that Nevi won't be able to answer for you in more detail than whatever I can give you because she's the expert on monsters. If you get a question on ghosts, go to Dani. Other than that ... I got nothing."

Nightwing nodded and looked at Michi. "Thank you for your cooperation."

"This was not cooperation, Nightwing," Michi said easily, looking at the masked hero with cold grey eyes. "This was me putting trust in you. I hope you don't break it. You are, in fact, in a mountain."

With a smirk that slightly unnerved Jaime and sent the Scarab into listing ways to destroy Michi, the three left the room.

* * *

 **December 8, 2016  
08:54 EST**  
 **Room A104 in the Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

Jaime sat across from the redhead in the interrogation room of A104. Nightwing and Conner were outside of the room, standing near the door and within Conner's hearing distance if Jaime screamed for help. But he had a feeling he wouldn't need any.

Caspar Braddock seemed to relax from a rigid position when Jaime had walked in, even with his armor on. Maybe it was because the armor still showed he was a teen, not some adult. And when Jaime remembered Danielle's words on Caspar being a complete techie, the armor possibly provided some distraction for Caspar's mind to focus on. The two sat in silent for a moment, giving Jaime ample time to examine Caspar. He was, as mentioned before, a redhead. His eyes were a piercing green that were also examining Jaime. His skin was a sickly white, making a stark contrast with his dark clothing choice. He wore black pants, black boots, a black shirt, a tawny colored jacket that was a size or two too big, and an American army jacket. The more worrying thing about him, though, was that he was skin and bones. Jaime had noticed Danielle was slim and Michi was lean, but Caspar was literally skin and bones with just enough muscle and fat to not look like a skeleton.

"Ask away," Caspar sighed, looking as if he was already bored with this. But his quaking fingers gave him away. Jaime could tell he was trying to repress them by putting pressure behind them while they were on the table, but it wasn't working. It made the Hispanic teen sorry for doing this to the redhead. No one should be this frightened when they really did nothing wrong. Especially when it came down to superheroes interrogating an innocent. It just mad Jaime wonder what he had to go through to be like this.

"How old are you?" Jaime asked, his voice monotone. Nightwing had Jaime memorize the questions he was to ask Caspar.

"Fifteen," Caspar responded.

"How'd you run into these platforms?" Jaime asked, skimming his fingers over the scanner on his arm, activating it.

"Me and Twinkie ran into the one your people dismantled in Philadelphia. As we were making our way back to Licorice and Fortune Cookie, we found an inactive second one a little ways away. We stayed in that city for a bit before moving on and stopping in every town and city during our travels to find any and dismantle them ourselves. Did you know there were other inactive platforms?" Caspar responded. Jaime wasn't even going to approach the subject on nicknames. He had a feeling he knew which nickname was correlated with who.

"Not until today," Jaime answered, sighing heavily. He was already getting a headache. How'd Batman and Nightwing do this all the time? "Why are you here?"

"Our mentor, Clockwork, sent us. I'm pretty sure Licorice told you all this," Caspar responded.

"She did," Jaime answered with a nod, knowing Licorice had to be Danielle.

"And she answered everything else, I presume," Caspar groaned, leaning back. "Man, I just want some more sleep and that's it."

"How about this," Jaime sighed heavily, "if you explain to me what you know of the platforms, I'll cut this short, _esé_."

"Deal," Caspar immediately agreed, leaning forward now and getting a gleam in his eyes. "They seem to work off of a combination of your guys' Zeta Beams and some other transporting signature I can't place. It's not like the ghost teleportation, so I can already eliminate that. And it can't be shadow-travel because Twinkie has told me that monsters and tech don't mix well. Tech literally has to be made surrounding the Mist and shit like to work. No one but children of certain gods and goddesses can understand that. Twinkie sure as hell doesn't. Anyway, back on topic, I don't know the other signature that could help in this transportation. Maybe it's logged into the League's database. I don't know. I haven't had the time to hack the League."

Jaime gladly ignored the last sentence. He'd tell Nightwing once he was out of the room.

"I don't know where in Twinkie's world these things are connecting to, though she has a theory. She might not have said it, but she does. Anyway, they work as a one-way current. Only things from Twinkie's world can come here. No one here can go into Twinkie's world," Caspar said, plowing on as if he hadn't suggested him hacking into the database of a network of superheroes. "Recently, whoever these people are, have gotten smarter. They found out how I original dismantled the platforms and put in bombs so when I do my job, something's gonna blow. But here's the kicker, there's a second engine underneath the platform. As soon as the first explodes, it immediately connects to the second one. And if someone manages to find the second engine, it's also rigged but not in the same place as the first bomb."

"Danielle said you broke into WayneTech to get access to chemical compounds and tech, is that true?" Jaime asked.

"Yes," Caspar answered instantly, shaking his head. "It was all Twinkie's idea, but we went with it. Turned out to be a good thing with everything considered. Hell, we probably didn't need to steal anything. Just broken in there and Nightwing more than likely would still have brought us here."

"Is there anything else regarding the platform?" Jaime asked.

"Not that I'm aware of," Caspar answered.

 _Scan complete. Caspar Braddock is from a different dimension but not the same as Danielle Fenton's, Michi Yamauchi's, or the monsters'. He is completely human and everything is in order, though he should eat more. His weight is not healthy when corresponding to his height. Caspar Braddock is not lying._

"Thank you," Jaime said, standing up. Caspar looked up at Jaime.

"Is anyone after me?" Caspar asked.

"Nevidebla Good," Jaime answered. Caspar smirked a little, though it seemed force.

"Tell Twinkie I prefer cows over snakes," Caspar responded. Jaime was confused by the statement but nodded anyway, leaving the room.

* * *

 **December 8, 2016  
09:29 EST**  
 **Room A103 in the Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

Jaime didn't know what to think of Nevidebla Good.

When he had walked through the door, there was a squeal and all of a sudden there was a girl hugging him with strength momentarily rivaling Bart's superspeed ones before letting him go and babbling a hundred miles a minute. He could barely register anything since he was still confused on the fact she _hugged_ him and sent a pleading look to Nightwing and Conner who were both smirking. He didn't understand how to handle this situation. Soon, Nevidebla had seemed to calm down and sat in the chair, her fingers tapping adamantly against the metal table in front of her. Nightwing moved to sit in front of her and the girl seemed to make it very obvious she wanted to engage in a staring contest, though it seemed stupid with Nightwing's domino mask on.

Jaime watched the girl cautiously as he crept slightly closer to Conner. He was afraid she would hug him again for no reason whatsoever. Sure, Danielle had said he was one of Nevidebla's top five heroes, but he had not been expecting such a reaction. She hadn't even given Superboy or Nightwing a cursory glance until she had silently demanded a staring contest.

The girl's hair was wild, curly, and platinum. It reached right down to her hips and the top half was pulled into a thick bun. Her eyes were hazel, warm, and held a gleam of mischief in them. Her skin was tan and covered in a patchwork of white scars that Jaime could see on her hands, arms, and face. Gauze was wrapped around certain areas of her body, adding to the effect she was prone to getting injuries but jumped right back into the swing of things. She wore a purple shirt, ragged jeans, a pair of Converses, and a red jacket was folded in front of her so she could rest her head on it. Strangely enough, leather armor encased her chest and forearms. The more prominent things about her were the leather necklace containing six clad beads on it and some black burn mark on her right arm—barely seen beneath the leather armor's straps—that was made up of a winged shoe, SPQR, and a line.

The girl blinked and seemed to huff, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest, pouting. Jaime didn't know how to react to this. Should he laugh or be more afraid? She was literally all over the place and he didn't know how to deal with this. Even Bart had a better attention span and less energy than her. Or maybe it was because there was a better explanation for Bart to be so crazy, like being a speedster.

"So ... how's it going?" Nevidebla asked with a wide grin, her eyes roaming the room. "You know, there are exactly eighty-five tiles in the ceiling. I even counted the chopped off tiles in that row. And how comfy any table can be when you use a jacket?"

Jaime exchanged a glance with Conner. He was getting annoyed, Jaime could see it. Deciding he didn't want to suffer too much, Jaime activated the scanner on his arm.

"What's that?" Nevidebla asked, turning her gaze to Jaime and he froze. He couldn't turn the scanner off now and he didn't know how to answer that. "It's not a weapon or anything of the like, so what does it do? Are you scanning me? Why are you scanning me? I'm not radioactive, I swear!"

Being best friends with Bart Allen aka Kid Flash had its upsides, like being able to keep track of what Nevidebla was asking, especially when the shock of her hugging him had worn off. He'd have to thank Bart later for being such a fast talker. It wouldn't even matter how confused his friend got, he was doing it.

"In order, it's a scanner. Yes. They told me to," Jaime answered. Nevidebla nodded and turned to Nightwing.

"Why?" she asked.

"the armor can pick up the energy of what dimension you are from. We'll know if you are from this world or not," Nightwing answered. Nevidebla nodded as if it was commonplace for someone to scan her for such a thing.

"What information do you need?" Nevidebla asked, getting right down to business as she fiddled with her jacket, nodding her head to a beat the rest didn't know. "I know for a fact Dani told you why we're here, who are mentor is, how we know of the platforms, how we've been traveling from city to city, why we were stealing from WayneTech, who Technus is, Explained ghosts to you in a brief description, and to come to me for the monster info. Michi more than likely gave you little information but if I know the Fortune Cookie, he either gave you lot personal information, told you some personal information after you discovered something, or said zilch. Judging by your faces, I'd say it was one of the first two, followed by a threat. Michi's like that. Carrot-Top either froze up unless you just sent Blue Beetle in. Even then, he was either silent or went into a lovely rant about the tech inside of the machine, but simplified it. The second option seems reliable since it feels like, oh, half past nine o'clock and if Caspar froze up, then you would still be with him. Finally, I'm going to assume you'll ask me for all the info I got on all the monsters you've ran into. Am I right?"

Jaime was impressed. The girl talked fast, barely even taking in breaths to continue on. She wasn't on par with a speedster, but if compared to any other human, she was _fast_. Almost on the scale of indefinable jabber. But he understood it all and was blown away that she could interpret exactly what her friends would say in an interrogation or a lack thereof.

"How old are you?" Nightwing asked, smirking a little. Nevidebla blinked before laughing.

"I should've expected that," Nevidebla chuckled, shaking her head. "Throw the person you're interrogating off by asking a question they would never expect, like age. Smart. And it's fifteen."

"Before we continue, Danielle has informed me that you tend to give answers without giving anything away," Nightwing said and Nevidebla groaned, sinking in her seat before motioning with her hand for Nightwing to continue with his questions. "What are those black dog-like things with red eyes and the size of garbage trucks?"

"Hellhounds," Nevidebla answered automatically. "Vicious things, really. But, if you have the right weapon and know how to fight, they can be easy to expose of. One or two are easy to take on your own but a pack requires other people with you."

Jaime had the Scarab make notes of these monsters.

"Ladies with snakes for hair?" Nightwing stated more than asked.

"Gorgons. There's only three: Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale. If you haven't been turned to stone, you know it's not Medusa so it must be one of her sisters. When killed, gorgons give you two vials of their blood from the left and right side. The blood from the left side is deadly while the right can offer extraordinary healing. But if you kill Medusa by behead-ment, you get her head that when the eyelids are lifted, can turn anything living to stone," Nevidebla answered. "They can be somewhat difficult depending on other circumstances when you run into them."

"Ladies with a bronze leg and the other a donkey leg," Nightwing said, looking somewhat embarrassed. Even Jaime was. It seemed with those certain monsters, it left the boys incapacitated. If it wasn't for Batgirl and Cassie, Jaime didn't want to know what would have happened to the Team at the time. Nevidebla merely cringed with the twinge of a smirk on her lips.

"They didn't reveal their flaming hair?" Nevidebla asked. Jaime tried to remember but that day had been a daze.

"I don't know. That's a question for Batgirl and Wonder Girl," Nightwing answered honestly. Nevidebla seemed to be restraining a laugh.

"That had to hurt," Nevidebla said as she leaned back. "They're Empousai. Daughters of Hecate and Mormo. They feast on the blood of seduced men once they fall asleep. Nasty things. Men—or anyone with a Y chromosome—are susceptible to their charms. Women, on the other hand, can snap out of it faster and defend themselves. Along with the fact Empousai don't try and attack women. It's somewhat against their upbringing or some shit like that, but they will if they have to."

"Snake women?" Nightwing asked. Nevidebla actually cringed at that one.

"Scythian Dracanae," Nevidebla spat. "Fought them as foot soldiers two years ago in the Second Titan War. For the most part, their legs are snake tails while their upper torso and heard are that of a woman. Despite what you might think, they're tough and fast. They use a wide range of weaponry and if you can, I advise you get the weapons off them and keep them. They'll either be made of Celestial bronze or Imperial gold, both useful in the defeat of monsters and demigods but harmless to you."

 _Scan complete. Nevidebla Good is from the same dimension as these monsters, but there is a slight difference in her energy signature. It seems like within her own dimension there are realms that exist and the monsters come from while she comes from a different one. That is the only theory I can come up with at the time to explain the different fluxions in energy signatures. She also seems to be missing half her DNA, and yet she is functioning like a regular human being and has every normal part, function, and mindset, despite her being hyperactive caused by ADHD. There are bits of liquid gold in her blood with the consistency of blood but the readings say it is gold. I do not understand what this is to mean Jaime Reyes. She is quite confusing. On top of it all, it seems Nevidebla Good was burned with electricity and healed rapidly by some outside substance. What could have possibly been second and three degree burns have been reduced to scar tissue and first degree burns. A broken femur has become severely bruised right down to the bone and two cracked ribs are now bruised. It is quite phenomenal. Despite the threat Nevidebla Good imposes, I advise she should stay alive so we can gather information on these monsters and understand how she works. Even Danielle Fenton and Michi Yamauchi did not cause my scanners to want to malfunction in such a way. I was not made to malfunction like this, Jaime Reyes._

Jaime decided to keep the malfunction part to himself when he would tell Nightwing and Conner what the Scarab had picked up.

"And those black creatures that fought us outside of WayneTech?" Nightwing asked. Nevidebla visibly cringed and seemed to curl in on herself, her body going still.

 _I sense a high level of fear radiating from Nevidebla Good._

"Those were gryphons," she stated, shuddering. "Nasty things. They seem to strangely target children of Hermes. Maybe out of fear that we will find their nests and steal something from them and get away with it. But that's only a theory. Even Dad doesn't understand why, and he's a god. And before you ask, that _is_ what they look like. It's not a lion, but a black panther-like body. Their beaks are the only things that can injure a mortal because it's not made of Celestial bronze or Imperial gold like their talons and the razor edges of their wings. So you more than likely got bit by one earlier this morning. Luckily Caspar healed you up and made sure you didn't get infected. For demigods, a bite from one could be deadly if not disinfected immediately because of the diseases loitering in their mouths. But I don't know if it would have affected a mortal, yet alone someone from a different dimension."

"Celestial bronze? Imperial gold?" Nightwing asked, raising an eyebrow. "You've mentioned those quite a lot."

Nevidebla nodded and reached into her jacket, pulling out a hilt. She looked over at all of them and seemed to steel herself.

"Don't attack, I'm just showing you the metal," she stated, pushing a button. Jaime jumped back as a three foot long blade extended outwards. The metal was bronze and Jaime could see it was glowing. He gulped as the Scarab started to do a scan on the metal.

 _It has the properties of bronze at the basis but there is something else that makes it different. I cannot tell what properties the metal holds._

"Celestial bronze," Nevidebla said, putting the sword on the table. "It's minded from Mount Olympus by Cyclopes. Then forged in Mount Etna and dipped in the River Lethe to cool. It kills monsters or any creature of the magic world. Mortals, like you three, will not be affected by the metal. It will give you no lasting harm. But to a demigod, like myself, it acts just like any weapon."

Nevidebla than patted her jeans until she pulled out a gold knife. The Scarab started to scan the metal over.

 _It seems to be some form of gold enchanted in a way I have not run across, even with us encountering Zatanna and Dr. Fate. Nor had I originally sensed these weapons. Be careful around her Jaime Reyes. Nevidebla Good seems capable of many hidden talents._

"Imperial gold, on the other hand, is enchanted. It's usually used by Roman demigods or legacies," Nevidebla said, twirling the knife in her hand. "Being one of the few demigods allowed to travel between camps, I've collected quite a few Imperial gold weapons. But these are more rare and harder to come by, but just as deadly as any Celestial bronze weapon. The only thing it has an advantage of over Celestial bronze is its harmfulness to wind-based monsters like _venti_."

"What is this about demigods and gods?" Nightwing asked, leaning forwards. Nevidebla seemed to sigh, her shoulders shagging.

"In my world, the Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythologies exist. I am part of the Greek and Roman," Nevidebla answered. "My dad is Hermes, god of messengers, thieves, astronomy, astrology, languages, writing, gymnasiums, athletic contests, hospitality, traders, travelers, roads, swift-footedness, running, herds, and flocks. I am one of the few demigods from Camp Half-Blood—the Greek camp—to be in an exchange program with Camp Jupiter—the Roman camp. One half of my summer is pent at Camp Jupiter while the other half is spent at Camp Half-Blood. Any of my other breaks from school I divided evenly between the two camps. I know people who are involved in the Egyptian mythology and the Norse mythology of my world, but they have no reason to be involved in our discussion. It seems only the Greek and Roman monsters are coming through."

 _Nevidebla Good does not lie._

Jaime didn't know if he wanted Nevidebla to be lying or not. It was a lot to take in. Sure, a planet containing these myths made more sense because, come on, _aliens_. They're more possible than ... whatever Nevidebla's explaining. It seemed far fetch that actual gods and goddesses did exist, and it didn't stop at the Greek ones. But, Jaime reasoned, it explained a lot about the monsters. Along with why Cassie was able to destroy those creatures much easier than the rest of them. She technically was a demigoddess, a daughter of Zeus.

"What about our abilities?" Conner asked, interrupting the brief silence that fell in the interrogation room outside of Nevidebla humming some random tune.

"What about them?" Nevidebla asked, stopping her humming and seeming to be jumbled up for a moment before her eyes began to focus.

"Why does it seem that if we make direct contact with them, ti barely affects them?" Conner asked. Nevidebla sighed and rubbed her temples.

"This was hard to explain the first time," she sighed lowly before removing her hands and speaking louder. "It's your mortal blood. If you don't have the ichor of the gods flowing through your veins, your natural abilities—despite how superhuman they are—are reduced by half if they require direct contact to work. It's happened to Danielle when she has to use her ghostly strength. If she was able to use her full strength, she'd have enough to choke the Nemean Lion like it was nothing. She has more strength than Heracles. _But_ because of these rules, she can't. Her strength is cut in half and she can't chock or punch them into dust, even if she charges herself full of ecto-energy. Her ecto-blasts will work at full force _because_ they don't require her to get into a physical confrontation with monsters. But if she did use ecto-charged elbows, knees, punches, and kicks, then they would be cut in half. It's complicated and annoying. Basically, your strength is cut in half when you fight them and might just be a glancing blow to them."

"Would that mean Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl would be able to attack these monsters and use their strength to its full?" Nightwing asked. Nevidebla chewed on her lip.

"It should be plausible. In your world, they are demigoddesses," Nevidebla said with a nod. "It would all depend on using a testing environment. You would need to measure her strength capacity on something and figure out her maximum deliverance onto something. At the moment of impact, someone should measure how much strength is behind it. Then, when it comes to a monster, the same should happen. Maybe it'll be a few decimals off or maybe it'll be three quarters of her strength. I don't know. That literally requires a controlled test."

"Thank you for your cooperation, Nevidebla," Nightwing said, nodding, and standing up to leave the room. Nevidebla watched him and Jaime saw her twinkling, warm hazel eyes change. They seemed hollow and almost dead, having lived a thousand years and just waiting for death to finally take them from the misery of the world.

"You should understand something Nightwing," Nevidebla sighed, seeming like she was weight down with the weight of the world all of a sudden. "This is a new war. What you are facing now is a testing the waters kind of thing. They wanted to see how you handle their creatures and so far, you are failing. Once they establish whatever it is they want, they will be ready to attack and annihilate you. I know you're leaving to discuss whether you should trust us or not. I'm not speaking as some leader, just a girl who has had little childhood, and who has fought in two wars: trust us. We know what we're doing and we want to help. I swear on the River Styx, all we mean to do is help you with this to our dying breaths."

Jaime felt some chill enter the room and a shock of thunder shook the mountain. Nevidebla didn't seem affected by it, just raised an eyebrow as if she wasn't expecting the thunder to come. But Jaime felt uneased by what Nevidebla was saying. She was young, a year younger than Jaime, and had already fought in two wars. He looked at her white scarred hands and arms. Most of those were probably caused by those wars, by her innumerable fights for survival if Jaime had to make an educated guess. He felt slightly sick.

Nightwing only nodded again and left the room, Conner and Jaime following.

* * *

 **December 8, 2016  
11:17 EST**  
 **Hallway A in the Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

"What did you get, Jaime?" Nightwing asked as the three stood out in the hallway. Jaime looked at Nightwing and thought about how to go through what he had gathered on his scans.

"Danielle has something in her system that makes her heartbeat low to the point she should be in a coma and her temperature is in the range of hypothermia," Jaime answered.

"Do you think it could be related to the ghostly strength Nevidebla was talking about when she explained about how abilities would react to these monsters?" Conner asked.

"It's plausible," Nightwing said, putting a hand to his chin. "I'd seen Danielle shift into a white-haired, green-eyed form before that glowed just like Technus."

Jaime grew confused. "How's it possible to be both alive and dead?"

Jaime was given a look to shut his mouth. Yeah, that was a stupid question. In the line of hero-work, it was insanely possible.

 _It does seem to be a reasonable explanation for the strange readings Danielle Fenton was producing Jaime Reyes. It would be best to not throw the idea away just yet._

"What about Michi?" Nightwing asked.

"The scan said that there was some energy surrounding him and flowing through points in his body. If the inhibitor collar was off of him, the scan could possibly have been able to figure out what his ability was," Jaime stated. "Along with the whole leg-thing."

"What is his ability?" Conner asked and Jaime looked over at Nightwing who seemed nervous.

"I've seen the kid in action and trust me, you don't want to know at the moment," Nightwing sighed.

"Remember what happened the last time you kept information from everyone?" Jaime asked, bringing back bad-tasting memories. "It took forever for the Team to be a team again."

He knew he was right, and judging by Nightwing's face, the leader was giving in slightly.

"Nightwing," Conner said in a warning voice, "I've known you since this began, so you better tell us. And don't go on about Jaime not being ready. He's not a rookie."

Jaime felt pride bubble in his chest. Ever since the mission Conner had dragged him on a little less than a year ago, he had earned the older member's respect. It was good to know he had one of the powerhouses of the Team on his side for most things. Or just the fact Conner was proud of him period. He and Nightwing were the closest people he had to mentors considering the original Blue Beetle was dead when Jaime picked up the mantel. Besides, he always wanted to make them proud.

"Michi can control both earth and metal," Nightwing answered as if it somewhat hurt. Jaime blinked as the last words Michi had said came back to him. He was worried now having someone who seemed ready to bring down a whole mountain on them in said mountain around.

"As long as we don't break his trust, we'll be fine though," Conner said, giving Nightwing a look. Nightwing nodded in conformation looking at Jaime.

"What about Caspar?" Nightwing asked.

"He's a regular human who needs to eat a little more since he's underweight," Jaime answered, steeling himself for the next one.

"And Nevidebla?" Nightwing asked.

"She's missing half her DNA but is still functioning like a regular human with all normal body parts and mindsets. Along with that, there's a small percentage of something in her blood that is the same consistency but reads as gold," Jaime said with a shrug. "Outside of her wounds and those factors, she's relatively normal."

"What did you and Caspar discuss?" Nightwing asked. Jaime had the vague feeling he was now being interrogated.

"He simplified what he knew of the machines," Jaime stated. "He said the people behind this figured out his normal path for dismantling the platforms and laid a trap for him to set off the bomb. Then he mentioned the second engine and how they had done the same to him, but in a different spot from the first one. I'm pretty sure because of those incidents they had tried to steal from WayneTech to be on the safe side."

"Anything else?" Nightwing asked.

"He wanted me to pass on a message to Nevidebla that I forgot to do," Jaime answered with a shrug.

"What was that?" Conner asked, looking confused.

"That he preferred cows over snakes," Jaime answered with a shrug. "I don't quite know what that means."

"Nor do we," Nightwing sighed, placing a hand on Jaime's shoulder. "You did good today. Go take a break. Maybe hang out with Gar."

"Yes sir," Jaime said, walking towards the bedrooms to surprise Gar before stopping and turning to Nightwing. "What are we going to tell the rest of the Team?"

"I'll hold a meeting in replacement for training," Nightwing answered and seemed to ignore both baffled looks sent to him by Jaime and Conner. "It will come down to a vote on if we'll accept their help or not. Each of us will take a turn explaining what we gathered from this. I'll take the direct route with the answers I received from Danielle and Nevidebla. Conner, you can answer on if they were telling the truth or not along with the importance on how our abilities affect the monsters we fight since that was your question. Jaime, you will talk about the scans and your talk with Caspar."

"What about Michi?" Jaime asked.

"I will make it seem like he contributed just as much as Danielle and Nevidebla. No one else needs to know he willingly threatened to tear this mountain down," Nightwing said, looking at them. Jaime knew this was information that should be withheld. They needed these people, he could tell that much. From the little Nevidebla had told them about these monsters and the bare bones Danielle had talked about ghosts, they were in way over their heads.

"So we discuss our participation during these interrogations and then tell the Team what we think?" Conner asked.

"Yes," Nightwing said and looked over at Jaime. "Are you ready for that?"

Jaime wanted to say no. There was no way he could possibly be ready for this but ... some part of him knew this was important. He would do it, for the sake of his Team. They needed these people's help and they were offering it.

 _I do not entirely trust them, Jaime Reyes, but I do see your logic behind keeping them alive. But if they show any threatening signs towards you and your teammates, I will not hesitate to try and dispose of them._

Jaime knew he had the Scarab on his side to keep both him and his teammates safe now. He was definitely ready.

" _Sí_ ," Jaime said and walked off to find Gar. Hanging out with the green shape-shifter should help calm him down for the meeting later.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **First: translations. Seriously, if you don't know what the two words I used that are Spanish, I cannot help you. They are insanely simple.**

 **Second: can anyone guess what Caspar meant by he prefers cows over snakes?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note**

 **Here's chapter eight and chapter nine should be on its way before school along with—cross your fingers and hope—chapter ten, but that's a little iffy. In this chapter, things are kind of catching up to everyone. Certain people know what's going on and they don't really like it. Their retaliation? Just read and you'll see.**

 **Reviews:**

 **lumigo akvo9504: I'm glad you're finding the chapters pleasing. It means a lot that I can get out these awesome ones for you guys.**

 **Answer: the cows and snakes bit was referring to the scared animals of Hera and Hermes. Caspar saying her preferred cows over snakes was saying he was preferring Hera over Hermes and anyone in the PJO/HOO fandom would understand that is a big no-no. Imagine Nevidebla's reaction once she finds out. I can guarantee it will be hilarious.**

* * *

 **EIGHT**

 **The Decision**

 **December 8, 2016  
13:08 EST  
Disclosed Location**

A tall man with black hair pulled into a low ponytail and brown eyes strode down a hallway with a purpose. His gait was confident and angered as a glare overtook his face, it becoming more menacing by the three pale scars marring his face. The dark blue trench coat he wore flapped behind him and the red line running down the center seemed like blood instead of bordering. His boots unleashed a series of heavy-placed clomps as he walked. Once he reached the room he was going for, he opened the door with more force than necessary.

"We have a problem," the man stated to the occupant in the room. Said occupant turned around to stare at the man with glowing red eyes. He wore metal armor that left his cracked-skin arms exposed. A black belt was positioned around his waist with a glowing red design in it. His face was a permanent scowl with some face brace going along his jaw and stopping to cover his ears, leaving his cracked-skin head free.

"What could that be?" the cracked-skin alien asked.

"Desaad has informed me that it seems that there is a different group other than the regular superheroes who have noticed our little project," the tall man said.

"I don't see how that's a problem, Savage," the alien said, smirking though it was weird with his scowling face.

"It wouldn't be a problem if this new group wasn't taking out are inactive machines as well," the tall man, Savage, responded with traces of venom in his voice.

"How is Desaad handling the new challenge?" the alien asked.

"He's put a bomb in the engines while building a second backup one beneath with a platinum exterior as to not let the bomb damage it. And even then, if they were to find the second engine somehow and not be killed by the first bomb, the second engine is also rigged, but in a different step process to dismantle our machines," Savage answered, still angered.

"Is there any way to get the others back online?" the alien asked, his voice becoming hard and his eyes glowing a deeper red.

"No," Savage answered icily, his anger turning to cold fury, "each group destroys anything important and if it could explode, they find a way to get rid of it far away from the location sight."

"We will just have to speed things up, then," the alien said. "Tell Desaad to activate all the machines in Manhattan while turning the others off anywhere else."

"It will take a while for the order to go through, though," Savage said, wanting revenge now for being made a fool by a group who weren't even superheroes.

"It will not matter. Even if those superheroes team up with this group, they cannot hope to win a battle," the alien said, a cruelly amused smirk crossing his face.

"I will inform Desaad of the order, Darkseid," Savage said to the alien, Darkseid.

"Do you know how long it will take the order to be completed, Savage?" Darkseid asked.

"I do not know. Maybe two days at the least," Savage said, smirking cruelly. "It would be interesting to see them all scramble and I remember Desaad saying something about that group being in Gotham and traveling northwest. They couldn't hope to make it to Manhattan in time to even help the heroes."

"Tell Desaad he has three days," Darkseid ordered.

"I will," Savage said, leaving the room, his once angered mood turning into cold superiority.

 _You won't stand a chance, Justice League. Not a chance._

* * *

 **December 8, 2016**  
 **15:32 EST**  
 **Meeting Room of the Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

Cassie sat in a chair, arms crossed and an angered expression on her face. She'd rather be training than this. She didn't care what this was about, she had a better time sparring with people, especially with Conner. He could take her hits and deliver ones just as strong so she had to keep thinking and be on her toes. Cassie was a fighter. She was not made to be sitting around and waiting for some meeting. If it was before a mission, she would be in rapt attention, but it wasn't. Nightwing had made that clear.

Cassie turned to talk to Karen, who was busy discussing something with Batgirl. Robin and Bart were talking about something Cassie wasn't interested in, though it was weird to see the two talking so adamantly. Well, for Robin it was, not for Bart. The speedster could talk for hours on end without stopping except to breathe. Gar was silent for once, not cracking jokes or anything. The green sapien-looking shape-shifter had the most contemplative look on his face as he saw somewhat near Cassie in his own chair. La'gaan was farther down the table, seeming to be talking with Mal about something. Virgil, the newest member, had just walked in and immediately joined Robin and Bart's conversation. M'gaan and Tigress were sitting together, chatting quietly. Cassie still thought it weird to see the orange clad woman. She only cam now to help the Team out with the platforms. Some other League members showed up once in a while, but Tigress had stuck all the way around, something that was very helpful at the moment.

Completely bored, Cassie turned to the oddly silent shape-shifter.

"What's up Gar?" Cassie asked cheerily. It caused the little green boy to jump and look at Cassie with wide, emerald eyes.

"Huh?" he asked.

"You're just being insanely silent. I was just making sure you were alright," Cassie said, looking around the table. There was someone missing. Actually two someones: Conner and Jaime. She wondered where they were. Conner couldn't have gone far since he lived in this new Cave. Jaime, on the other hand, was a mystery. He was never late and sometimes early. So this was a new occurrence in the daily routine of the Team.

"I'm fine," Gar said with a shrug, noticing Cassie's curious look. "What's up with you?"

"Conner and Jaime are late," Cassie answered, looking at the clock. It was two minutes past three thirty. Conner should have been here the moment the first person had zeta-ed here. Jaime had never been this late before, even if it was by two minutes. When it came to hero business, Cassie discovered the Hispanic teen was rather punctual and she vaguely wondered if it transferred over to his civilian life when it came to school.

"Uh, actually, they're apart of leading this meeting," Gar said, with a shrug, smiling sheepishly. Cassie looked over at the changeling, raising an eyebrow.

"How do you know?" Cassie asked.

"Jaime was here insanely early. I asked him why and he said Nightwing had convinced his mom to call him out of school so he could help out. Whatever it was, Jaime was done and hung and out with me, but he said he had to help out present information to us with Nightwing and Superboy," Gar answered, looking around.

"Do you know why?" Cassie asked. Gar shook his head.

"No, Jaime said I would find out later. All he told me was that it was related to those monsters and such," Gar answered. Cassie perked up at that. She had seen these creatures, had fought these monsters, but had always thought they were pure myth. Even if the Greek gods existed and sired demigods—most actually being powerful demigoddesses—the monsters from Greek myth had never come up. It confused and intrigued Cassie to know that they did exist, while also scaring her. She was a demigoddess and if she had read Greek myths correctly, those monsters wouldn't mind ripping her apart. If it wasn't for her invulnerability, Cassie had a feeling she would be just that.

She felt like she should be more help to her teammates. Despite giving it her all, unless she placed her blow just right, the monsters only stumbled or were daze enough for another attack. The well-placed blows had them crumbling into dust. She had seen Conner giving it his all and he hadn't been able to do that until he managed to get twenty consecutive punches on one. Cassie was even at a loss of what kind of monsters were attacking her home. There were the black dogs, the snake women, those flame-haired bitches, and more would come. This was just a test, Cassie could feel it in her gut, and usually when she felt something that strong, she was rarely wrong. She was scared to know how their situation could get any worse.

"Listen up," Nightwing ordered, walking in followed by Conner and Jaime. Cassie noticed the no-nonsense tone in Nightwing's voice, along with a small twinge of urgency. It wouldn't have been so obvious if Cassie didn't realize Nightwing seemed both excited and worried. He was _oozing_ emotions at the moment. Something important was about to happen.

The holo-screen inside the table rose up so everyone could see what was on it. Cassie saw four people who had seen better days. A black-haired girl with pale skin, tired blue eyes, and a small, lopsided grin. There was a boy with dark brown hair, steely grey eyes, and a determined tilt to his lips. Next was a tanned girl with warm hazel eyes, out of control curly platinum hair, and seemed to radiate energy despite her own bags. The last was a redheaded boy with piercing green eyes, sickly white skin, and the darkest bags underneath his eyes it almost seemed like he had been punched there instead. Cassie didn't know how to feel about this.

"These are Danielle Fenton, Michi Yamauchi, Nevidebla Good, and Caspar Braddock," Nightwing said, standing up straight. "And they so happen to be the ones who have been helping us out in the northeastern area of the country."

Cassie leaned forward to examine them more carefully. But the pictures yielded nothing but their faces. It was best if she met them in person to determine how much of a warrior each one was. The only one the picture hinted at was Michi Yamauchi, the brunet boy with the determined face.

"Did you just catch them?" Robin asked. Cassie looked over at the black-haired boy and still found it weird to see him in civvies. She was used to his red and black Robin uniform, not jeans and a hoodie accompanied by glasses.

"Yes, and interrogated them," Nightwing answered. Cassie sent him a look. The rumors she's heard of the Bat Family interrogation ranged in ludicrous tellings, but they all came down to it not being a pleasant experience.

"Nightwing," Batgirl warned with a glare and crossed arms directed at the black-suited man.

"I didn't go hard on them," Nightwing answered with a shrug, looking somewhat sheepish at the reprimand. "I actually wasn't able to interrogate one because he clamps up with authority figures. Blue handled that one since the kid's a techie and would be more intrigued by the armor than the fact he was being interrogated."

Cassie looked over at Jaime who was shuffling on his feet nervously. He was the last person she believed would be part of an interrogation. It just ... didn't seem to fit the cuddly teddy-bear persona that radiated off of Jaime unless he was fighting bad guys. Even when he snapped at people or started to argue with himself, he was still a big teddy-bear.

"Anyway, I was able to uncover plenty from each of them," Nightwing said, pushing a button on the table and the black-haired girl's face—Danielle Fenton—became the dominate piece of the screen. "Danielle Fenton is the leader of this group and his given a great deal of information, sadly what she spoke of did not pertain to the monsters we fight, but a new enemy that can show up, and already has."

"What!?" people chorused as one, especially Karen aka Bumblebee, her voice slightly louder than the rest. Nightwing held up a hand and everyone calmed down, slightly.

"This might seem weird, but ghosts seem able to exist and do impose a major threat," Nightwing said as a new wave of noise emanated around the room. It hurt Cassie's ears while she remained silent, thinking. She normally would have joined in but the way Nightwing spoke was the same no-nonsense voice he usually used. And she'd rather not get on Nightwing's bad side. "Quiet!" The room instantly silenced itself. "These aren't the typical ghosts. I've seen one in action and it nearly killed one of these four. I barely know how she's alive at the moment. But they are dangerous and Danielle's ready to give us information and weapons to fight them."

"What do we know about them, then?" Robin asked, sounding a little calmer than the others, even Cassie herself.

"Their original state is actually that of tangibility. Basic abilities are flying, intangibility, and invisibility. They can have abilities based off an obsession. Take a technological obsession for example. The ghost would be able to take control and manipulate technology along with electricity. And the ghost that those four faced that I witnessed was in fact a ghost like that and nearly electrocuted a girl to death," Nightwing said, crossing his arms. "I won't take this threat lightly and Danielle provides enough knowledge of these ghosts."

"Then why aren't we demanding she tell us everything and give us the weapons?" La'gaan asked. Nightwing gave him a look.

"I'm leaving this as a group vote," Nightwing stated. "Once all three of us have said our information, we will vote and all of you will decide if we will ask them for help or not. Superboy, Blue Beetle, and I can't vote since we have been able to speak or see them in person. We can tell you what we believe, but we will not overturn the votes into our favor."

Cassie looked over at Conner and Jaime who were nodding in agreement. So far, she was leaning to trusting them. Or maybe it was the fact Nightwing was selling it that they did need them, which was probably true.

"May I continue with no further interruptions?" Nightwing asked. Everyone around the table nodded. "Danielle had willingly said all four were from different dimensions than our own, but they share a common mentor by the name of Clockwork who had sent them here to help us." The picture of Danielle Fenton disappeared to be replaced with the one of Michi Yamauchi. "There isn't much to say about Michi other than that he's obviously the second-in-command of their group and has some trust issues outside of his group. He's willing to give us a chance and has backed up everything Danielle had talked about outside of the ghosts since he didn't know enough." The pictures changed again from Michi Yamauchi to Nevidebla Good. "Nevidebla is the one who knows of the monsters. She comes from the exact same dimension as these creatures and has fought them, for what I believe, a good majority of her life. She's willing to tell us any information on them, weapons we can use, and possible strategies for each monster we face. Of what I can tell, Nevidebla's the one with most knowledge of their information, ready to rattle anything off if need be."

Cassie could tell it was killing everyone to not ask what answers they had to the creatures they had faced while taking down these platforms. She knew she was.

"All four—as Jaime has given me a small rundown of Caspar Braddock's interrogation—have said that there is more than one platform in a city at a time. The others are just inactive and all four would not leave a city until they found each and every one and dismantled it. For the four to keep up a twenty percent dismantlement out of all the calls we got for the northeastern part of the U.S., that's saying something. They move fast and are efficient at taking these things apart," Nightwing stated, lensed eyes watching everyone. "I believe it's in our best interest to at least trust these four. They know what they're doing more than us and I can tell if we do trust them, they'll give us more information that will be beneficial to us."

"Are you saying that they're holding back more information?" La'gaan asked. Cassie barely heard him, still strung up on the fact that there were multiple platforms in one city that they had never noticed. It was sick and unnerving to think how easily a small army of monsters could arrive in one city and demolish it in minutes. And they would be at fault for not thinking that inactive platforms were there.

Cassie felt like she was going to puke.

"It seems like it," Nightwing said, looking at La'gaan. "If you wanted people to trust you but didn't want to give too much away encase they don't, would you say everything you knew?"

It shut the Atlantean up. Everyone around the table knew the answer.

"Jaime, you're next," Nightwing said and Cassie watched the nervous Hispanic teen. She felt a little guilty for him as he pulled up the picture of Caspar Braddock.

"He's the techie, basically," Jaime said, his voice quivering slightly until he cleared his throat, but Cassie could tell he was still nervous. "Knows these machines inside and out apparently. He's already connected one transporting signature as a Zeta beam but can't place the second. Caspar said that whoever's behind this figured them out and how he dismantled it and laid bombs while a second engine was built underneath in a tougher compartment. They still got to the second and found out it was also rigged to blow in a different area of steps encase they did make it that far."

Cassie looked at the rundown redhead and tried to picture him in one of those platforms, tearing it apart. His extremely skinny build would help him get in quickly and come out. Even then, Cassie would have to see him in action. His whole picture just spoke tired and wanting to sleep.

"I was able to scan each of them and fine that their energy signatures did point them to different dimensions, even for each of them. Nevidebla was the only one that was the same as the monsters coming through, but it was slightly different signifying the possibility of realms or sub-dimensions within her own. The monsters are in one while humans seems to be in another," Jaime said, crossing his arms over his chest and seeming to get better with his speaking. "Danielle Fenton and Michi Yamauchi both have abilities. Nightwing says Danielle seems to be part ghost since she has a second form and more than likely the basic abilities of a ghost and possibly more advanced ones. It also explains a foreign substance in her blood that the scanner couldn't identify, her body temperature being scary low, and her heartbeat nearing the state of someone in a coma."

Cassie's blue eyes widened. She only knew a few meta-humans who had physical changes so deep. Gar and Bart were two of them. But for the most part, nothing like that really happened to a meta-human. Heck, Gar technically wasn't even a meta-human since his powers came from the blood-transfusions Megan had to give him. Even Cassie herself wasn't as changed as those two were with a Greek god/alien as a parent.

"Michi Yamauchi seems to have some type of energy flowing through points in his body that allow him to bend the earth and metal to his will. Other than that, the only other thing different about him is the fact he's missing his left leg from the knee down," Jaime said.

Cassie balked at that. Sure, she had seen people with disabilities become heroes, but it was a small few and very rare. Most were centered around the senses of sight and hearing. She couldn't even think of an amputee who didn't have cybernetic technology doing the stuff that the scenes they had run across had done. It was just ... insane. If Cassie was missing a limb—which was hard to do to the invulnerable daughter of Zeus—she would be honest and say it would take a long time and much motivation for her to try and get back into the hero gig.

"Caspar Braddock is just a regular human who needs more to eat," Jaime said with a shrug. "Finally, Nevidebla Good is a bit of a mystery. The scan said she was missing half her DNA but was functioning as a regular human being with all proper body parts in the correct places. There is a small percent of her blood—five or less—that seems to be liquid gold but has the same consistency as her blood. Both link to what she has told us about her world. Apparently Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythologies exist there. She said she's part of the Greek and Roman part, along with her dad being Hermes."

"The messenger god?" Cassie asked, interrupting what Jaime was saying. She received a look from Nightwing, a plain stare from Conner, a small smile from Jaime, and questioning glances from everyone else.

" _Sí_ ," Jaime answered with a nod. "When I was in the room with either Nightwing interrogating them or me interrogating Caspar none of them seemed to be lying. They were willing to answer though Michi was difficult at first. But I stand by we should trust them. They have information that will help us with what's going on and we need as much help as possible."

Jaime stepped back while Conner stepped forwards.

"None of them lied," Conner stated. Cassie knew how Conner would tell but it did intrigue her how readily he was able to state it. "I was able to ask Nevidebla the question on our abilities affecting these monsters. She said as long as they don't require physical contact or our regular weapons, they should work to full capacity. But if physical contact needs to be made, the power behind it will be cut in half. They only exception would for Wonder Woman and Cassie. Since they're declared demigods here, their abilities will be more prominent but we don't know how much. Cassie, do you have any clue?"

Cassie blinked momentarily at being called out before responding, "I give it my all against them and unless I hit them _just_ right, they only seemed dazed or injured where another hit is required. But if I hit the spot, they'll crumbled to dust instantly."

"So it seems a fraction is cut from you but not as much as our own," Nightwing said with a nod.

"I do trust them," Conner said with a grievous nod, his blue eyes clouding over momentarily. "You can see they've all been through a lot and just like us, they five the good fight."

"Anyone against trusting them?" Nightwing asked. Cassie looked around to see La'gaan with his hand raised slightly along with Megan and Tigress. It was strange to see some people like that. Batgirl even had her hand slightly raised but Robin seemed neutral. "Who believes we should?"

The rest of the hands went up to trust them. Nodding, Nightwing motioned his head to exit the room.

"We'll lead them out of the interrogation rooms and will let everyone meet them in the training room," Nightwing said, exiting out of the meeting room followed by Conner and Jaime. "And no attacking unless we are doing a training session. We all need to know what skills they offer us besides information. Everyone who isn't in costume, except for Robin, change into it."

Cassie followed the others to the training room and stood by Bumblebee and Batgirl. This was going to be interesting.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note**

 **So I started school on Monday and I got so much homework right off the bat I was up until ten doing it (reading a government book makes any sensible teen tired). Being school hasn't started all the activities I'm involved in, this Wednesday was an opportune moment to update a chapter considering I had little homework. That being said, as the year starts getting into the swing of things, I may have only one day were I can write, that being Sundays and even then, my dad is known for throwing metaphorical wrenches into any plans my mom and I make. Updates will be slow. If you have not gotten this before, I will say this now: DO NOT ASK ME FOR UPDATES. I WILL UPDATE WHEN I CAN AND IT WILL BE INSANELY SPORADIC.**

 **Reviews:**

 **lumigo akvo9504: You'll just have to read to find out. I hope I did make it interesting enough.**

 **On another note, I do like reviews. At least lumigo akvo9504 understands that. So if you want to leave one, go ahead. It doesn't even have to be praising my work, but a critic of sorts. If you have a question that I know I might not be able to cover in this story, ask and I'll answer. If it will be answered in this story, you'll know. And if it's a toss up, I'll leave an author's note at the end explaining that question if it doesn't pop up.**

 **Warning: there is some gruesomeness towards the beginning of the story. If you can't stand descriptions of blood or gore, ignore anything in italics. The rest of the chapter will give you a vague understanding of what had happened so you hopefully don't feel too left out of the loop if you are one of those people.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, Danny Phantom, Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus, Avatar: the Legend of Korra, or Legend. And can we just apply this disclaimer to the whole story now? It's kind of irritating to remember to keep reapplying it to every published chapter. Besides, this is a website for fanfiction. No way do I own any of this.**

 **Now, on with this chapter.**

* * *

 **NINE**

 **Foretelling Dreams, Plans, & Interruptions**

 **Date Unknown  
Time Unknown  
Dreamscape**

 _Nevidebla wandered down the streets of Manhattan, taking in everything. It was silent. That was the first warning sign that Nevidebla got about the city. It was as silent as the time of the Second Titan War when Morpheus had put the mortals to sleep. The precursor to hard fought battles in a war that didn't end until August eighteenth, and what a day that had been._

 _The second warning sign was the lack of mortals and cars. The Second Titan War had left behind cars idling in the streets and mortals curled up everywhere. Now, everything was gone. It was as if the fundamental things that made Manhattan alive were missing._

 _The last was the weather. Nevidebla always took the weather into account when she was scanning things. It was her quirk from living in the world of gods existing. Zeus had always been perfectly clear when things were disturbing him. Now, rolling black clouds blocked out the sun and blue sky. Rumbling thunder was heard and Nevidebla's eyes widen in shock when red lightning flashed in the sky and the clouds started to cry blood, staining Nevidebla's skin, hair, and clothes red._

 _Then there were the howls, the cries, and the screeches._

 _She knew those noises. Monsters all around, swarming and attacking some distance away. Then the wails and screams of mortals finally reached Nevidebla's ears over the cacophony the monsters were making. It seemed the mortals hadn't left the city after all, but were hiding in their homes and hoping to wait out whatever was happening. Not one to leave others to face death without someone giving them a fighting chance, Nevidebla took off running._

 _As she ran, she saw curtains move and scared faces staring down at her. Some had even pulled the curtains back farther and made a motion to come to the door with their hands, to let them take her in so they could provide protection as she kept moving towards the wails and howls. Nevidebla could only shake her head at each invite, her feet pounding against crumbling asphalt as she rounded street corners and skidded down alleys and leapt over fences imposing her way to the fight. She had to make it. No one in this world but her and her friends knew how to handle these creatures, yet alone mortals who weren't even superheroes._

 _She rounded the bend and realized it wasn't regular civilian mortals, but superheroes. For once, the blonde stood frozen in the opening of the street as she watched, transfixed, as monsters tore into superheroes. The combination of the Justice League and Young Justice weren't making a dent. Every monster that crumbled into yellow dust, then more replaced it. And yet, the most horrible thing, Nevidebla was watching each one die._

 _Flash and Kid Flash were already stone and Medusa's head was resting by them, eyes gouged out and snakes cut off the scalp to squirm around it. The Minotaur had the punctured body of one of the Green Lanterns on its horn. Hellhounds were covered in blood as the gouged bodies of Batgirl, Hawkwoman, Beast Boy, and Lagoon Boy were near them. And those same hellhounds kept fighting Aquaman, Hawkman, Superboy, and Guardian. Bumblebee, Martian Manhunter, Miss Martian, Wonder Woman, and Superman were being pummeled by gryphons while flying in the air. Only Wonder Woman seemed to be landing better hits, but only just. The gryphons were finally driving her over the edge and Nevidebla felt a scream bubble in her throat as each of the five heroes ran out of energy and slowly fell from the sky, crashing into the asphalt with gryphons screeching after them, tearing them apart. Blue Beetle, Wonder Girl, Black Canary, and a limping Robin were surrounded by Scythian Dracanae with the dead bodies of Zatanna, Red Arrow, and Green Arrow behind them. Icon and Rocket fought alongside another Green Lantern in a losing battle against different Scythian Dracanae. Red Tornado was dismantled, Plastic Man was cut into pieces, Atom was squashed like a bug, Captain Marvel was torn limb from limb, Captain Atom dying from blood loss, and Doctor Fate was beheaded. The last was Static Shock fighting alongside Batman and Nightwing against Empousai without any sign of female help in the vicinity._

 _Nevidebla watched as each was cut down. A pipe coming into their stomachs, something smacking across their heads in a killing blow. Static Shock ended up pierced by the Minotaur's horn in the stomach, his blood staining the horn red. The statue of Flash was destroyed and Batman was beheaded. Superboy was mauled, Aquaman eaten, Guardian left for dead, and Hawkman was just a bloody pulp. Blue Beetle's armor slowly became destroyed until a Dracanae got a lucky hit against his flesh-exposed side and delivered the killing blow. Robin's neck was twisted all the way around, Black Canary was disemboweled, and Wonder Girl was hung by her own Lasso of Truth. Icon, Rocket, and Green Lantern were torn apart. The final one to die was Nightwing, an Empousa digging her claws straight through his chest and pulling his heart out._

 _After that, Nevidebla was finally able to move and she stumbled into the clearing. The monsters disappeared almost as soon as she moved into the bloody battlefield. She'd never seen such a massacre, and she'd been in two wars. Turning in circles for some sign of life, she spotted them. The platforms in the sector, all activated, all pouring out monsters who ignored the bloodbath and went for the mortals who couldn't protect themselves._

 _She couldn't take the stench of blood, the stench of death, permeating the air so it clogged it and suffocated her lungs. Nevidebla ran down the streets, weaving in and out of anything in her way until she stumbled upon a quieter area. The screams of regular mortals hadn't reached her ears yet and Nevidebla looked to the side, seeing a newspaper stand. Approaching it curiously and cautiously, Nevidebla saw the date._

 _December 11, 2016_

* * *

 **December 8, 2016  
16:14 EST  
Room A103 in the Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

Nevidebla woke up with a start, hyperventilating as she tried to calm herself down. A shaky hand rose to her cheeks and scrubbed away her tears, along with the disconcerting phantom feel of blood. She'd never met the superheroes in real life (at least all of them), but they had given her hope when she was really young, before she even found out she was a demigod, to keep going on. Because heroes rose from the ashes of their terrible lives. All of them held such an example in some way, especially the Flash. Sentenced to a foster home after his parents were murdered in front of him, Nevidebla had always felt a stronger connection with that superhero's past more than the others in her own weird way. Though, she didn't remember her mom. She was two when her mother was kill and she was two when she was sentenced to the life of a crappy foster home.

And now, to receive a dream of them all dying, it wounded her. She felt her soul shattering because they were dear to her. Their stories—those comic books—they kept her from doing something terrible. Nevidebla knew she had just about as much darkness, if not more, as her half-brother Luke Castellan, the host of Kronos and the hero of Olympus who had sacrificed himself, taking a knife and stabbing it into his Achilles' heel so he died immediately, preventing the Titan Kronos from rising into power. And it all rested on her foster home on why she had this darkness.

She'd seen death before. Witnessed it as Thanatos came down to gather her friends and family into his arms and gently take them to the Underworld. Even her dad had to help out, personally taking the spirits of his kids to the Underworld to be judged if they deserve Elysium, the Fields of Asphodel, or the Fields of Punishment. But for some reason, ti was different to see superheroes die. Maybe it was because Nevidebla had never thought of them as something more than gods. It was the fangirl in her, she knew it was, that caused her to overlook their own mortality. It wasn't until that dream she realized they were as delicately human as herself and her friends.

And they would die in three days.

Rubbing her eyes furiously, Nevidebla got onto shaky legs. No, they wouldn't die. Not when Nevidebla had a chance to help them. She looked at her bag and jacket that she had placed on the table before pulling her jacket back on her goosebump infected arms and dug around in her bag. Not only had she forgotten her meds, but a spray bottle and many other things. Luckily, they had went into a dollar store one day and she got one, filled it with water from a fountain, and found a way to use Iris messages. Now, she needed to contact a certain daughter of Athena. Making a continuous stream of water, Nevidebla turned on one of the flashlights she had also bought at the dollar store underneath it until she created a rainbow.

"Oh, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering and contact Annabeth Chase at Camp Half-Blood please," Nevidebla chanted, flipping a golden drachma into the rainbow. It fizzled and fractured until a somewhat choppy image appeared of the blonde and grey-eyed daughter of Athena. "Annabeth!"

"Nevi, is that you?" Annabeth Chase's voice was scrappy as the image shifted around some. "What's going on with the Iris message?"

"Bad reception in this world," Nevidebla explained, watching the door carefully. "But I need to ask you a question, a very important question."

"What is it?" Annabeth asked and Nevidebla was able to make out her concerned face with the fierce grey eyes.

"How are the monster attacks lately?" Nevidebla asked, secretly berating herself for not asking this question sooner when she had the chance.

"Really down lately. Lower than even before the two wars happened," Annabeth answered. "Why?"

"Because they seem to be coming to this world," Nevidebla responded. "I need some advice. See, this world is based off the D.C. comics but they don't really have the proper weapons equipped for this and I don't have enough. You're smart. Do you think you can come up with certain weapons that would be best associated with the heroes and send them? My dad knows where I am. He can get here."

"Who exactly?" Annabeth asked.

"Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Atom, Aquaman, Black Canary, the Flash, Green Arrow, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, two Green Lanterns Captain Atom, and Red Arrow, Captain Marvel, Rocket, Icon, Martian Manhunter, Red Tornado, Doctor Fate, Zatanna, and Plastic Man are the Justice League. Nightwing, Tigress, Miss Martian, Superboy, Batgirl, Blue Beetle, Kid Flash, and Beast Boy, Lagoon Boy, Guardian, Robin, Bumblebee, Wonder Girl, and Static Shock are Young Justice," Nevidebla stated, rubbing her hands together.

"I'll do the best I can but I might need to ask Percy and some of the other campers for advice," Annabeth said, her voice cutting off at points.

"I don't care if you do, Annabeth, just do it. They'll die in three days if you don't," Nevidebla said in a rush, her voice rising.

"Did you have a dream?" Annabeth asked, the choppiness of the Iris message contorting her voice again.

"Yes and I saw every last one of them die in Manhattan. I _need_ those weapons in three days at the most. The sooner, the better so they can practice," Nevidebla said.

"I'll get to it," Annabeth stated in a serious voice, the image becoming clear enough so Nevidebla could see the calculating and stern face of the daughter of Athena.

"Thanks Annabeth. I owe you one. Bye," Nevidebla said, waving her hand through the Iris message and putting the spray bottle and flashlight away with a heavy sigh. That was something, but it wouldn't be adequate enough. Pulling the Fenton Phone from her jacket pocket, Nevidebla place it in her ear and started to tap the side so a frequency could be heard by her friends, even if they were out of the ear.

" _What is it, Nevi?_ " Danielle asked.

" _Yeah, you were sending out a very stressful S.O.S._ ," Caspar agreed.

" _Are you okay?_ " Michi asked.

" _We got a serious problem_ ," Nevidebla said, starting to pace her cell—excuse her, _interrogation room_ —feeling her ADHD kick in full force. It was calm for the past few days due to her constant activity and lack of sleep. She didn't have enough energy to be properly hyper. And now her friends would soon witness Nevidebla off her meds, even if she only took half the original dosage around them. This was not going to end well.

" _Like what? We're already locked away in interrogation rooms_ ," Caspar said.

" _I must agree with the redhead_ ," Michi stated with a heavy sigh. " _Nothing can really get worse than this._ "

" _Oh, that's where you two are so wrong_ ," Nevidebla said with an increase in her pacing. " _You know my demigod dreams?_ "

" _The ones that can sadly tell the future or what could be the future if things don't change immediately?_ " Danielle asked, her voice rising only a certain amount of decibels out of fear.

" _Bingo_ ," Nevidebla sighed.

" _What was it about?_ " Caspar asked.

" _The heroes that make up the Justice League and Young Justice will die in three days because of a massacre in Manhattan via monsters_ ," Nevidebla said in a rush, her hands curling into fists as she kept pacing. " _I've already contacted Annabeth about the possibility of sending weapons but we need to be there. It showed us not being there and how much they were slaughtered. I saw each and every one die._ "

" _And how do we get to Manhattan in three days?_ " Michi asked, being the logical one when Nevidebla was near hysteria with worry and pressure.

" _We get them to trust us_ ," Danielle answered easily.

" _And if that fails?_ " Nevidebla asked.

" _We break out_ ," Danielle answered instantly as if it was normal. And it was for them. Nevidebla couldn't count how many times they had to break out of authority holding cells or interrogation rooms to go save the day to complete their mission. It had become as easy as breathing for the four apprentices of Clockwork.

" _I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but what if that doesn't work, either?_ " Caspar asked.

" _Then all we can do is avenge them_ ," Danielle sighed heavily. Nevidebla felt her lips twitch at the wording.

" _How long have you wanted to saw that?_ " Nevidebla asked, hoping a joke might go a long way to calm her down. It did, slightly.

" _Too long and I wish it was in the Marvel universe instead of this one_ ," Danielle laughed easily. Nevidebla chuckled at that, her heartrate going down to a more manageable pace.

" _How are we going to get them to trust us?_ " Michi asked.

" _If they ask for a demonstration, we do so. We gotta teach them everything we know and make it abundantly clear we meant to help them and they really do need our help in the nicest but firmest way possible_ ," Danielle said confidently.

" _And if they ask us to join them on other missions to other platforms?_ " Caspar asked.

" _We do as they say but make it clear where we are best helpful. And I don't care how much they fight, here are the group ups. Under no circumstances are these going to change. Caspar, you're with me. If a bomb goes off, I know for sure I can keep us both safe. Nevidebla, Michi, you are together. At the moment, you two are the key fighters. Nevidebla knowing all there is about monsters and Michi, you just being an awesome earthbender and metalbender_ ," Danielle ordered.

" _Aye, Captain_ ," Nevidebla said, feeling some relief in her stomach when a plan was made.

" _Understood_ ," Michi answered easily.

" _Copy_ ," Caspar said with a small snicker. Nevidebla would have commented on it if she wasn't basking in the fact there was a plan. The heroes had a higher chance of living now and that was all that mattered at the moment. Nevidebla didn't want any of them dying, but one hero who makes it out is better than all of them dead.

" _Try to get some more rest guys. I don't know when they'll come and get us but we should at least appear capable of what we have accomplished the last few days,_ " Danielle said. Nevidebla gave an answer of affirmation before putting the Fenton Phone back in her jacket pocket and started to do handstands as she thought.

She wanted to comment that they shouldn't make what they did look easy. Because it wasn't. Nevidebla could count the hours of sleep she had gotten in the last three days on one hand disqualifying the nice naps she took today. It was insane she was functioning at all and she'd have to thank her ADHD for the spurts of adrenaline when needed. When her arms started to shake, Nevidebla quickly got back on her feet and started to rub the muscles. She hated the spasms she got when she wasn't fighting now. It happened back during the Second Titan War and the Second Giant War with constant fighting. But not as terribly as it was now.

And yet another reason to not make this seem so easy. Even if they were heroes, they can still be naive. Nevidebla had proven two wars had still blinded her to the mortality of heroes until a few minutes ago. What they had done was nothing less of extensive training with little sleep and too much vigilance being called upon. The hours between three and eight in the morning were when they slept. Or tried to sleep. Michi would startle awake from cramps, trying, and sometimes failing, to keep his screams down; Caspar stayed up longer to work on something and would fall asleep in the middle of its construction; Danielle usually looked out the windows or watched the door some times before sleeping again to wake up later on and start the process over again; and Nevidebla had her nightmares.

Then they were on the move again: hijacked cars, train hopping, and bus tickets here and there were their modes of transportation. They destroyed platforms, fought monsters, and got things from dollar stores or stole them from closed stores. It wasn't easy. She could feel the pangs of hunger really setting in and still wondered how Caspar lasted as long as he did. Even in that foster home she'd found more food to eat for her and her fellow fosters than they had been for the past three days.

Nevidebla started to cartwheel around the room, mind still whirring on many things.

Were they going to be declared trustworthy? Or were they going to be sentenced to jail? Who trusted them; who didn't? Was offering to go with them so early a mistake? Should they have waited more? Or was all as it should be?

Thoughts that couldn't be answered while trapped in this small room. Switching from cartwheels to handsprings, Nevidebla frowned a little. No, they could be answered, if she had precognition or something of the like. But she didn't. All she had were demigod dreams that could be contorted, misinterpreted, or completely changed by one small factor. And at the moment, she was making sure that one didn't come true. It would have been easier to stand up to Sam and Carly Quill—her foster parents who weren't afraid to stab her in the side for misconduct (most misconducts being forgetting to do her chores or not doing them adequately enough along with other stuff)—than change the deaths dreamt by demigods. There was less than a five percent chance of changing that. Nevidebla would never tell her friends that, of course, but it was there, in the back of her mind, festering as she kept trying to think up ways to make sure it didn't happen.

"I see someone is getting a workout," a voice called from the door, having Nevidebla slip with her arms and tumble onto the ground, landing hard on her bruised ribs and femur. Muffling her curses and getting back to her legs, she glared at the door to see Nightwing in it, smirking. Coming to the conclusion that heroes do not get a free pass from vulgar gestures, Nevidebla adeptly gave him the middle finger. It only caused Nightwing to laugh but there was something sad about it that made Nevidebla quickly pick up her backpack and swing it onto her back.

She slipped past Nightwing to see her friends. Danielle looked better and was grinning her signature lopsided smile. Michi wasn't limping slightly or rubbing his knee. And both had their inhibitor collars off, which was a relief for Nevidebla because seeing her friends in so much pain at being blocked off from their natural abilities had both scared and angered her. She understood, don't get her wrong, she did. But that didn't mean she had to like it. Caspar looked mildly better, Nevidebla decided. He more than likely napped the whole time, ate, talked during his interrogation, and responded to Nevidebla's S.O.S. before he went back to sleep. There was a possibility that he thought of Blue Beetle's armor, but Nevidebla had a feeling that was before he went back to sleep. It was just a hunch, but she knew it was a good hunch.

"Did Blue Beetle give you my message?" Caspar asked, rubbing one of his eyes with a forefinger.

"No. Why? What was it?" Nevidebla asked and she saw Caspar smirk.

"Just that I like cows better than snakes," Caspar answered with a shrug.

Nevidebla stopped all movements, her hands twitching. She was trying to restrain herself but it was very hard. Who would choose crazy, disrupter-of-all-demigods'-lives Hera over her own dad? She understood Hermes wasn't as cracked up as she made him. The evidence was in Luke and the rule Zeus had set in place. But after the Second Titan War, Hermes had tried his best to reconcile with his kids, knowing he was at fault for following Zeus's order. And he did for the most part. Almost all of Cabin 11 either liked him or loved him, seeing him as their actual father and not some guy who helped in the process of creating them with their moms.

So for Caspar to choose Hera over her own dad ... he deserved to be punched in the face. But the face was too noticeable, so Nevidebla went with the ribs. Her punch was fast and powerful, hitting him and Caspar gasped, holding his floating ribs as he sent a watery smile her way.

"I deserved that, didn't I?" Caspar asked as Nevidebla placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"Big time," Nevidebla growled.

"Break it up," Danielle snapped at them, causing Nevidebla to look her way where she stood with Nightwing and Superboy. Blue Beetle was near Michi, both having stopped some conversation at Danielle's rebuke. "I don't care what he says and who you were defending because of that statement, I will put both of you in the walls or make Michi do the Hole Punishment."

Caspar and Nevidebla paled and purposefully made their way to different people. The redhead walked over to Michi and Blue Beetle and the blonde to Danielle, Nightwing, and Superboy. Danielle nudged Nevidebla and motioned her head to them.

"What?" Nevidebla hissed. Danielle raised her dark eyebrows and Nevidebla sighed. "Fine, I contacted a friend from my world to send some weapons over via my dad's express. I don't know the exact day they'll come but hopefully in the next three days."

She was not comfortable with telling them about her dream and looking over at Danielle, she understood. Maybe later when it didn't seem like these superheroes had an agenda they wanted to keep to.

"You four will need to showcase your skills," Nightwing said, drawing Blue Beetle, Michi, and Caspar over to the group. "We'll be taking you to the training room and you can pick someone you would like to battle."

They started to walk in silence as Nevidebla's mind wasn't focused on deciding who she wanted to fight, but more on how to prevent the heroes' demises. It weighed heavy on her mind and heart. She knew she had her friends to help her but this was her nightmare and Nevidebla had a thing about making sure her nightmares never came true if she could help it. Her hands started to twitch and she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she met the inquisitive look Danielle was giving her.

"You okay?" she whispered lowly.

"I'll be fine once things settle," Nevidebla answered, making sure her eyes portrayed the true meaning behind her words Danielle nodded and squeezed her shoulder before removing her hand. They continued on to the room and the door opened, exposing the training room.

Nevidebla didn't know whether to gawk at all the technology in the room or be unimpressed. She settled for indifferent. The sparring ring was cool, she'd give them that. High tech and who knows what it does, gleaming metal and areas glowing in white and light blue. Their climbing wall, however, had much to be desired when compared to the one back at Camp Half-Blood. There were bleachers housing all of the heroes of Young Justice: Miss Martian, Tigress, Batgirl, Wonder Girl, Bumblebee, Guardian, and Static Shock, Beast Boy, Kid Flash, Lagoon Boy, and she assumed the boy not in uniform with crutches near him and wearing opaque glasses was Robin. But other than those things, Nevidebla really didn't care for much in the training room. But then she thought back to the fact she had to choose a superhero she wanted to fight against. And, oh joy, she didn't know who.

Nightwing stopped in front of everyone and motioned for Clockwork's apprentices to take a seat, which they did. It felt weird to sit on bleachers again when she wasn't in school for some meeting. Then it clicked in her mind that once this was over with, she was going to have so much makeup work it wasn't even going to be funny. Burying her head into her hands, Nevidebla only heard what Nightwing was saying.

"Each of them will choose someone they would like to fight so they can demonstrate their skills and we can get some training in," Nightwing said. "Caspar, why don't you go first?"  
Nevidebla looked over at her redheaded friend who was scanning each superhero. His piercing green eyes were calculating. She could even see the numbers and probabilities flashing in his head as his eyes skipped around until they finally settled on someone. He grinned.

"I'll fight you, Nightwing," Caspar said, standing up and pulling a pair of fingerless gloves on. Nevidebla remembered those black gloves from some of the items Caspar had been messing with the past three days. Along with his boots of all things. But she had learned to never underestimate Caspar's mind so she sat up and watched the stages of emotions flashing across Nightwing's masked face. She couldn't really decipher them, but she knew there had to be some confusion and shock there. He had more than likely come to the conclusion they knew enough about each of them that they knew their strengths and weaknesses, and to know anyone from the Bat Fam was insanely dangerous and fighting them should be cautious along with a last resort.

"Are you sure?" Nightwing asked.

"I originally wanted to fight Robin, but I think he's injured," Caspar said, motioning to the boy with the crutches who, Nevidebla noted, was trying to hold some form of dignity.

"What injured him?" Nevidebla asked and her eyes widened. She resisted the urge to cover her mouth. Just her luck. Of course her ADHD would loosen her lips now that she was full of energy.

"What you called a hellhound," Nightwing answered.

"Ah," Nevidebla said with an empathetic wince. She's gotten bit by one of those creatures when she was ten. Not pleasant. Then she turned her eyes on Caspar. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"Yes," Caspar said, walking to the sparring ring while messing with his gloves. "Can we get this done with? I still need to work on some things."

"The sparring ring will announce who wins which can be achieved by knocking your opponent down, knocking them out of the ring, or pinning them," Nightwing said, stepping into the ring. Caspar hesitated before messing with his shoes. Nevidebla drew her eyebrows together at the motion, wondering what her friend was up to. She remembered him mentioning something about creating non-physical attacks so he could help out outside of his arrows encase he ran out in the middle of a fight. The blonde demigod turned to Danielle.

"Do you think those are his non-physical weapons?" Nevidebla asked.

"What do you mean?" Danielle asked, watching their redheaded friend just as carefully as Nevidebla. Michi leaned towards their conversation while his steely grey eyes remained on the ring where Caspar and Nightwing were circling each other.

"He told me he was creating something that could form electricity to mimic the motions of his hands and feet, almost like bending but not quite since it isn't coming from him but machines," Michi stated. Nevidebla blinked at the new information.

"He only told me about creating something for non-physical attacks. How is that non-physical?" Nevidebla asked.

"He said the electricity leaves the machines place on his hands and feet while keeping the shape and focus on his target. And since it won't still be attached to him, he doesn't need to come into physical contact with it," Michi explained with a shrug. "Rather ingenious."

"It's Carrot-Top. Of course it's ingenious," Nevidebla said as she turned back to the sparring ring to see Caspar had made the first move. A wave of crackling blue electricity was sent towards Nightwing with a wave of Caspar's hand. She stared in amazement as her friend moved with the crackling electricity following. Nightwing, of course, dodged and flipped out of the way as if it was a dance: a very, very deadly dance. Neither gained any ground as Caspar kept moving, his punches more like powerful jabs and his legs snapping at the end of his kicks.

"He'd be best as a firebender," Michi stated. Nevidebla looked over at their olive-skinned friend. She knew he was trying to match an element to each of them if they were to ever gain a bending prowess (which was highly impossible). But she liked the fact her friend went through the effort of figuring out some element.

"So you finally figured out Caspar? What about Nevi?" Danielle asked as the waves of crackling electricity kept escaping Caspar's moving form. Nevidebla looked over at the two, curious now. Michi had almost immediately declared Danielle to be water based on her ability to adapt and flow with what comes her way. It also didn't hurt that Danielle moved with a set of graceful, flowing movements.

"It'd say an airbender, but she'd be the most unconventional one around," Michi said with a shrug.

"I am unconventional," Nevidebla stated, going back to watching Caspar fight Nightwing. The acrobatic vigilante had been able to gain some ground and still gaining. Nevidebla noticed how Caspar was smirking, as if the masked crusader was falling into a trap. She was curious on how until Nightwing was within striking distance. Then the two were really sparring, matching blow for blow. Nevidebla knew Caspar had been training himself since Clockwork had asked him to join and it was paying off if he was fighting Nightwing as long as he had been. Punches blocked, dodged, and redirected. Kicks turning into knees and punches to elbows. Each tried to lock the other up in some type of hold but either one was flexible in that area, slippery, or just knew how to counter it, neither could really do a proper hold. It was near entrancing to see the fight when the redhead was able to place the back of his glove onto Nightwing's face and a shock of electricity ran through the hero.

Just as Nightwing pulled his escrima sticks out, lights began to flash.

"Uh, what does that mean?" Nevidebla asked the most obvious question.

"Mission Room, now," Nightwing ordered as everyone rushed towards it. Nevidebla, Danielle, and Michi followed after them at a more sedate pace, Caspar catching up while charging down his boots and gloves.

"Do you think this is about the platforms?" Caspar asked.

"More than likely," Danielle responded.

"We can show them what we really do now," Michi stated, rolling his shoulders in anticipation.

"Dang, and I really wanted to fight one," Nevidebla sighed, even if she still didn't know which one she wanted to fight at the moment. They finally caught up with the others as Nightwing pulled up a holographic screen with data on it.

"There's an attack down in New Orleans, Louisiana," Nightwing said. "Wonder Girl, Superboy, Kid Flash, and I will go down with Danielle, Nevidebla, Caspar, and Michi. Miss Martian, is the Bioship configured to allow me to drive?"

"Yes," Miss Martian answered, looking over at the other four with her green eyes. "Are you sure you don't want more to at least watch them better?"

"Hey!" Nevidebla exclaimed, Danielle and Michi both slapping their hands over her mouth to stop anything else from escaping.

"Ignore her," Danielle sighed. "We'll go with you but we're going to have to compromise certain aspects."

"We'll do that in the Bioship," Nightwing said as he started to walk off, Wonder Girl, Superboy, and Kid Flash following after him. The apprentices of Clockwork ran to catch up. "Anything you need us to know immediately?"

"Michi and Nevi will handle most of the fighting when it comes to us," Danielle answered easily as Nevidebla kept an eye on their surroundings as they headed to what was more than likely a hangar. "Caspar and I will dismantle the machine. I don't know the other's abilities well enough to decide where they can help."

"Wonder Girl should help Michi and me," Nevidebla commented as they entered a hangar with a red ship in it. "Nightwing should help you disable the machine. Superboy could help keep the monsters back until Michi, Wonder Girl, or I kill it. Kid Flash should work on crowd control just encase—you remember Richmond, right?"

"Don't remind me," Danielle groaned as they walked into the ship and strapped down before her gaze was back on Nightwing. "Does that sound good to you?"

"Yes," Nightwing said with a nod and narrowed eyes. Nevidebla spun around in her seat, noticing she was in between Michi and Kid Flash.

"You know, you're one of my top five superheroes," Nevidebla stated to the speedster who grinned widely.

"Crash," he stated. Nevidebla shrugged off the weird terminology. She'd learn long ago that it was best to not try and understand everyone's different terms for things that were as trivial as that. "What do you think we'll face?"

"Could be anything, really," Nevidebla answered with a shrug, causing Michi to turn and pay attention. "Hellhounds seem to be the most common in coming through next to Scythian Dracanae. I hope, for the guys' sakes, that there won't be any Empousai. None of the monsters with names have come through yet except the Nemean Lion that we took care of and let's pray that's the only one that does come through. They're trickier to deal with. I pray there are no more gryphons. It was bad enough the first time."

"I could do what I did last time," Michi suggested.

"Yeah, but New Orleans is technically below sea level unlike Gotham. There won't be as much earth for you to bend without causing an accidental sinkhole. For this one, it's best if you stay a metalbender," Nevidebla stated with a shrug. Michi sighed but nodded in understanding. It was a quiet flight after that, full of tension as Nevidebla fingered the hilt of her sword and her leg started to bounce. She couldn't really focus on the upcoming fight, but more on ways to prevent the outcome of her dream. There would not be a superhero massacre on her watch. She couldn't let something happen—especially something like that—without at least fighting against it. The bigger problem, however, was centered on how to go about it.

She had already contacted Annabeth about the weapons and as long as they were done in three days, her dad could get here in time to deliver them. The plan she and her friends had talked about resonated in her skull, but the likelihood of them changing anything was still festering in the back of her mind. There was no way around it: everything was up for grabs. Nevidebla wondered if this was how Clockwork looked at time. He had always described time as a parade. The Observants saw the parade from the street level, at the path it was taking while Clockwork saw it from above, twisting and turning and the other paths it could or could not take. Demigod dreams could easily turn into Clockwork's view of the world when trying to change them like Nevidebla was. There were so many different outcomes, different twists of fate, that there was no guarantee of what the end result would be.

It sucked.

The Bioship landed with a mild thud and the eight people exited the red ship. Nevidebla looked around to see they had landed on a street and the platform was ahead, the air shimmering as it began to form a rapid session of Scythian Dracanae, all hissing and wielding glowing bronze blades or intimidating gold. Her thumb skimmed over the hilt of her sword, her own blade coming forth as she flicked her wrist, her shield forming quickly. Michi pulled out the Celestial bronze and Imperial gold she had given him. Danielle grabbed onto Caspar, both eyeing the shimmering air. And finally, the superheroes got into stances before Nightwing spoke.

"You know your positions. Go," Nightwing commanded. Nevidebla didn't need any more incentive and charged.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note**

 **Updates will happen when I have a chapter done and I actually have time to update. This means that updates can happen within hours, days, weeks, or months depending on my schedule. So, yeah, this is why this chapter is updated so soon.**

 **Reviews:**

 **lumigo akvo9504: First, thank you for all your reviews. They mean a lot to me. Second, I know the last chapter was brutal in intensity but I'm picking up the pace of the story. As you read, they only have so long to make sure the League doesn't die and this chapter is also far from rainbows and sunshine. Basically, chapters from here on out are more action, stressful, and downright crazy. Each of these characters are slowly losing it or, as you'll be reading soon in Caspar's case, missing for some reason that is important. So enjoy the new intense chapter. Third, I'm happy that the cliffhanger was awesome. Sometimes, writers don't do it correctly or it's just ... I don't know, overused. I hope I don't become a writer that overuses cliffhangers but sometimes, it can't be helped.**

* * *

 **TEN**

 **Worst Decision Made in all Dimensions by Caspar L. Braddock**

 **December 8, 2016  
17:00 CST  
Abandoned Sector of New Orleans, Louisiana**

Caspar was pulled forwards by his leader towards the machine once the air stopped shimmering. He felt the cold, tickling sensation as they became intangible, sinking into the asphalt and appearing in the main hub of the machine. Biting his lip and secretly cursing his inability to make a scanner for bombs and unknown chemical compounds, Caspar went to work on dismantling the machine, keeping a watchful eye on it.

"Weren't we supposed to have Nightwing?" Caspar asked as he removed a set of wires.

"Shit," Danielle answered, looking towards the top of the machine.

"Just contact Nevi to tell Nightwing you're sorry. It's pretty easy to understand considering we've been doing this with only four of us," Caspar said, pulling out a motherboard and tearing it apart, keeping his green eyes open for anything that could trigger a bomb or hear anything that could sound like something clicking into place or the steady release of something into the air that shouldn't be. It was the most unnerving thing Caspar had ever done when it came to dismantling a machine. And there was still more to go, especially to check to see if there was another one under the currently activated one.

" _Nevi, inform Nightwing I'm sorry for forgetting him_ ," Danielle said over the Fenton Phones as Caspar broke a delicate piece of hardware over his knee before pushing the discarded pieces to the side.

" _Already did as soon as you two disappeared. He understood. Gotta go, though. These Dracanae are tough_ ," Nevidebla responded at once before it was silent again. Caspar finished his project of destroying the machine without anything blowing up. Maybe it had something to do with it already being activated? Or they hadn't gotten to this one to set up bombs? Caspar shrugged it off and pushed the pieces that needed to be hidden to Danielle. With a flash of white light, his leader donned her ghostly form and took off with intangibility and invisibility aiding her. Sighing, Caspar began work on finding a way to the second engine—if there was one—without Danielle's help.

He didn't find one in the five minutes it took for Danielle to hide the pieces. She made them intangible and the two descended into the lower area of the New Orleans street. Nothing was there except for dirt and rock. Coming back up, the tingling feeling left Caspar as he pulled out his bow and arrows, notching one and quickly aiming at one of the Scythian Dracanae. It was disconcerting fighting them. Despite the snake tails for legs, Caspar could sometimes think of him actually shooting an innocent civilian instead of a monster. He wondered how Nevidebla did it or if she masked her horror until sleep overcame her. It would explain some of her nightmares.

Shaking off the thoughts, he let the arrow loose as it sailed and punctured the snake woman's head. She collapsed into a shower of dust. He pulled another arrow out and aimed again, nailing another monster in between the eyes, the glowing serpentine eyes widening before she, too, collapsed into dust. Then he was moving, running and leaping as he aimed, dodging attacks aimed at him because even if the weapons could supposedly pass harmlessly through him, he didn't want to be in striking distance for these monsters to scratch him or choke him with their leg-tails. He didn't know how many there were or how many he had taken out. Superboy and Wonder Girl were tag teaming as they fought. Nevidebla and Kid Flash had actually paired up after it was deemed no civilians were in the immediate area. Nightwing was fighting with Michi, and Danielle was flying overhead, raining down her green ecto-blasts.

And then, he was in an alley chasing after an escaping Scythian Dracanae. He didn't know when he split off from the group. Caspar barely registered if he was actually given an order to go after the monster or to come back to the main fight. All he did know was that this monster could cause too much damage if she was allowed to escape along with the fact Kid Flash really couldn't stop her without creating a tornado around her in such close courters. It would not only be dangerous for him with such a small space to run around in, but along with the idea of a building collapsing from the suction. Sure, one of his friends could have handled this, but Caspar had noticed first—he at least assumed he noticed first—so he ran after the monster.

He would have taken the shot a while ago if he wasn't down to his last arrow, didn't know if his new invention could help him out against these monsters, and the Scythian Dracanae wasn't slipperier than a snake when it came to being out of the range of an arrow. Growling low in his throat, Caspar rounded a corner, bow gripped firmly in his hands with the arrow already notched, his fingers ready to pull the bowstring back and take aim when an opportunity presented itself.

Five blocks from the original location for the fight, Caspar found his opening.

The bowstring stretched, his fingers drawn back to his cheek before he let go. A twang released into the air as the arrow created a hollow thunk as it met the back of the monster's head. Caspar relaxed and turned around to head back, except he really didn't know the way back to the fight. And he would have looked at his tablet if it wasn't so low on battery that it would more than likely die before he even registered where he actually was in New Orleans, yet alone where the fight was actually taking place. Sighing irritably, Caspar reached for his earpiece when he noticed something out of his peripheral vision. His hand lowered as his head turned and he moved closer.

When he reached what he saw, Caspar picked it up. It was the size of a phone with the thickness of one of those graphing calculators he saw Nevidebla using months ago for school when she had completed her studies for a mission. The base was black with red outlining the edges and glowing yellow controls on its face. Curious on how it worked, Caspar started to press buttons. Maybe it wasn't the smartest move, but he was curious. He'd never read anything about this in the packet Clockwork had given them and Nevidebla had never mentioned anything like this. He _had_ to find out what it was. It was a moral imperative for all techies out there that he finds out what it did.

He was not expecting a glowing yellow portal to open up in front of him.

Now, smart and sensible people would back away or call for help. Caspar wasn't really either in situations like this. He knew he had been hanging out with Nevidebla too much if he was going to be this impulsive. But, come on, it was a portal! He was used to portals and the cold, twisting sensation of Clockwork's portals. This would be nothing. More than likely another walk in the park for him.

So he stepped into the portal after shoving the strange device into a pocket and felt like he was being stretched and shot at speeds that was slowly ripping his body apart. Pooling gold light filled his vision with flickers of white as he rolled over his own body numerous times. He didn't know what was up and what was down. His whole body momentarily became numb as he kept going and his lungs burned. It felt like infinity but he knew it probably only lasted seconds when he finally exited the contorting portal.

Caspar landed on his feet but his legs felt weak, knees collapsing as he landed heavily on the ground. The air smelled of burning fires and rotten eggs, oxygen was barely entering his lungs, and a cough was bubbling in his throat. One of his hands lifted to his mouth and nose to block the stench and cover his mouth as he hacked. His green eyes stayed focused on the ground. It was metallic and warm. Getting to his feet, Caspar could smell the underlying scent of burning materials beneath the overwhelming perfume of rotting eggs. Neither was pleasant but together ... Caspar wanted to hurl.

He looked around and noticed the high-rise buildings made of dark, gleaming metals with a hint of soot clinging to them. In the distance, he could make out burning fires rising as high—or higher—as the buildings. The streets were deserted, practically a ghost town.

Where was he?

His hand shook as he pressed against his Fenton Phone, only receiving static. That wasn't a good sign. it meant it was either damaged due to the portal or he was out of range of transmission. Or both. Either way, it also meant he was on his own. There was no way for him to contact his friends unless he did an Iris message, which he couldn't. He didn't have any water he was willing to sacrifice for that, yet alone a golden drachma. Basically, he truly was on his own wherever he was.

Caspar began to walk on his still unsteady legs. He pulled his shirt over his mouth and nose as he continued walking. The more he moved, the easier it was to get a little more oxygen into his body. His eyes moved around, scoping for any sign of danger that could come his way. Caspar deducted he was more than likely on a different planet, he just didn't know which one. He'd prefer one closer to Earth. It would be easier to find some form of technology and send a signal to the Justice League or Young Justice. But he had a feeling he was farther away than he would like to be. At least he knew this place had technology if the buildings were anything to go by.

It was just too industrialized for Caspar's taste.

Maybe he had been hanging out with Michi too much if he was starting to appreciate nature more than usual. He had always appreciated nature, found it interesting, relaxing, and anxiety-inducing all in one. But since the first time he had met Michi, he'd finally come to understand the great importance of nature, or natural living things. This planet had none as far as Caspar could see.

He kept walking on, eyes watching everything. Sometimes, there was a rush of heat as the burning infernos distances away grew higher and hotter until they were pillars of flaring white. Then they settled down into glowing streams of orange, yellow, and molten red. It was entrancing and completely terrifying. Caspar had seen plenty in his year of being one of Clockwork's apprentices, but this was taking the cake. Maybe it was because he was the only one here and couldn't run ideas off of a friend. Michi would be stoic enough with little words used Caspar would be able to run himself ragged with his own ideas until a solution made sense. Danielle would provide input along with a bird's eye view of the area with her flying capabilities. She knew how to talk in a way that also led Caspar to his theorized conclusions except faster than Michi. Nevidebla would at least know something about the planet and with their combined effort, would come to a very accurate conclusion. It wouldn't be theorized, but an actual conclusion due to Nevidebla learning everything about every dimension. Sometimes it paid for her to be able to memorize everything she read.

But without any of them, Caspar was stuck in his own thought and they were too crowded to sort through. It was one of his many faults. He couldn't separate his thoughts to form a clean and precise conclusion outside of tech without someone to bounce ideas off of. Maybe that was why he worked better in groups than on his own. Back in his own world, he'd been able to filter in and out of groups of homeless and poor like himself with ease. No one wanted his head and no one really wanted to kick him out forcefully. He gave them weapons and things to help them hack the security of stores. Caspar always found a way to make himself useful when he was in a group.

He barely functioned on his own when in unknown situations. Back in his world, he knew how it worked. This planet was a different matter entirely. He was positive oxygen was available here, but it was so little that Caspar believed it was like he was breathing from a high altitude. Hi stumbling steps lead him in vague directions since he didn't know where anything was. He didn't even know if their food was edible here. ... If there were any lifeforms on this planet. Another sweep with his eyes, Caspar highly doubted it.

His random directions led him to a massive gate and through the twisting high pillars, Caspar could make out a structure. It had its own mini infernos shooting up heat and metal workings. But the building beyond it all was huge and in the shape of a ... head? Caspar squinted his eyes against the blazing flames, black smoke, and sulfuric atmosphere and realized that, yes, it was a head-shaped building. Its face was turned into a fierce scowl with molten eyes and a headdress with an oblong piece in the center as molten as its eyes.

His stomach sunk at the realization.

He was on Apokolips, home of the New Gods, gods of anti-life, slavery, and degradation. Darkseid was their leader, their government was theocratic dictatorship, and the economy was a heavily militarized industry, civilians making a living off of scavenging and bartering. The demographics, for the most part, were unknown though it was theorized it was inhabited by a several million low cast natives and a small number of upper elites who were working for Darkseid. The armed forces are the Parademons, humans who were chosen from the general population to be genetically enhanced to be unbeatable and fanatically loyal. The Female Furies, who were chosen from the Parademons, were personally trained by Darkseid's Elite. And there were only four places truly worth mentioning on the planet: Darkseid's palace, Armagetto district (basically the slums), Granny Goodness' Orphanage, and the Fire Pits.

Hanging out with Nevidebla when she was in her rants about Apokoliptans and what they've done had its perks.

But it wasn't going to help him here.

How was any of that information supposed to help him if he didn't know how he got here? Sure, he could find those places. Hanging out in the slums actually sounded better than standing like an idiot outside of the gated palace of Darkseid. But Caspar stayed rooted as he tried to remember how his recent stupid decisions got him here. He knew it had to be from that box he was messing with beforehand. The gadget with the glowing buttons. He knew it was his ticket out of here. The only problem with that plan was that he didn't really know how to work it. Caspar had pressed random buttons and prayed for the best. If he had pressed the wrong sequence or a different button somewhere in there, he'd more than likely be on a planet with crushing gravity and no oxygen. Caspar would be dead faster than he was at the moment.

He didn't know which was the kinder fate.

Movement on his right side had Caspar snapping his head that way. His eyes widened at what he saw. Four Female Furies were heading his way, weapons out.

The first was a woman wearing a dark jumpsuit with metal bands wrapping around her arms, legs, torso, over her breasts, and three straps covering her face to protect her forehead, nose, and chin. Her long, dark green hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. Crackling whips of electricity were held in her hands, making Caspar want to gulp. He knew Nevidebla would be able to name her fight off the bat along with all her weaknesses. Caspar only knew she was a Female Fury.

The next was a woman dressed in green garb that reminded Caspar of the Middle Ages with shot black hair and an ape-shaped face with how elongated it was with too sharp cheekbones. She wielded a knife that looked too wicked to just be ordinary. Her face was contorted into a scowl directed towards Caspar as if she couldn't wait to use him as misplaced aggression. It gave him plenty to pause about.

Following her was a huge—and Caspar meant huge—woman. She towered over the others at a good seven feet dressed in a red outfit with light orange accents, gloves, and boots. Her orange cape billowed behind her as she lumbered after the others in graceful lops. Caspar could tell she moved rather quickly for someone of her mass with how easily she kept up and didn't seem to land on her feet too hard.

The last was a woman with wild green hair and yellowish-skin. She wore green boots, a green skirt, and a silver chest piece with silver wrappings on her hands ascending to her elbows. Her face was contorted into berserker glee as she wiggled her claw-ended fingers towards Caspar as they kept approaching.

He actually did something sensible when he saw them: he ran.

Caspar moved as fast as he could, taking in big gulps of air to make up for his oxygen intake but the sulfuric air made him want to gag and cough until he lost a lung in the process. But he kept moving, activating his gloves as he went. He wasn't going down without a fight and after this, he was finding the Armagetto district.

If he survived.

He fiddled with his gloves when the ground shook, launching him into the air, disorienting himself as he tried to figure out which way was up and down again. He met the metal-pavement-like street with a thud on his side, facing his oncoming attackers. The first woman let one of her crackling whips sing through the air at Caspar, who rolled out of the way and back to his feet. Then the woman dressed in green rushed forwards, knife out and Caspar had the immediate instinct he really shouldn't be hit by the blade. He dodged as she tried to stab him, taking steps back and keeping an eye on the others who seemed to be circling them, waiting for him to mess up. Caspar gulped and stumbled over a slightly raised piece of street. His eyes widened at his own mistake as the knife went straight for his heart …

Only for the blade to shatter.

Caspar was as shocked as the other four who momentarily stood frozen. Then he remembered: the Nemean Lion. He was wearing its pelt. An impenetrable pelt that at the moment was his saving grace. Recovering from his shock faster, Caspar punched the woman in the face in front of him, making sure he concentrated on the spots Michi had told him about. Uppercut to the jaw, elbow to the sternum, punch to the nose, and a series of points on the back to immobilize. As soon as he was back on Earth, he was thanking Michi for all the lessons.

Caspar taking down the woman in green seemed to snap the others out of it as the green-haired woman screeched and launched at him. Gulping at the berserk woman, Caspar used his arms to keep blocking her approach as the other three tried to disrupt his balance with another shake of the ground or make him lose his concentration with the sparking electrical whips. Caspar really couldn't concentrate on them, only on the woman who was trying to maul him with her claws. Her face was scary with its weird shape and contorted maniac frenzy. She'd haunt his nightmares for months—maybe years—to come. The worst thing was that she was smart while being in a berserk state. She avoided clawing his torso and arms, seeming to go for his unprotected face and lower legs, making Caspar freak out at the strange fighting technique. He didn't know how to respond and if he ever could come up with a way to, he knew it would be too late.

The woman scratched his calf, digging her claws in deep and twisting. Caspar collapsed to his uninjured knee, screaming so loudly his throat was growing hoarse. Blinking back the darkness, Caspar charged his gloved hand and socked the woman in the eye. It was weak and clumsy and wouldn't have affected her in the least bit if not for the electricity crackling from his own glove. She stumbled back, ripping her hand out of his calf as warm blood started to soak his pant leg. Panting through the pain, Caspar watched the other three. The bigger one was carrying the one he had taken down, the whip woman was moving to stand in front of him, and the berserk woman had backed off, crawling back on her four limbs.

"Who are you?" the woman with the strange metal armored demanded.

"Ca-Caspar Brad-d-dock," Caspar stuttered out from the pain he was feeling in his leg.

"Where are you from?" the woman asked and Caspar wanted to laugh, but her voice was too serious. He knew if he did start laughing, her electrical whips would come down and electrocute him until he died.

"Earth," Caspar breathed out, happy it was one syllable. They were easier to say.

"How did you get here?" the woman sneered. Caspar blinked as his hand began to fumble with his pocket and he removed the device. It was best to just go along with everything and limit his pain or any more injuries he could get.

"With thi-is," Caspar answered, gritting his teeth when he moved and caused more pain to flare in his leg. He was useless at the moment and he was all he had. There was no going around it, Caspar would have to answer everything truthfully and pray for mercy. Which he knew was very unlikely if the stories Nevidebla had told him were anything to go by.

"How did you obtain a Father Box?" the woman demanded, taking a step forward and sweeping one of her whips closer. Caspar reeled backwards out of fear, forgetting about his injury and unleashing a cry of pain when he moved too fast in the wrong way.

"I found it on the street about five blocks away from the activated machine in New Orleans," Caspar said, more than likely giving out more than he should have. But he was scared and in pain. Without any of his friends nearby, Caspar could rattle on and on about everything they've been doing. If they were with him—at least one of them—he could keep his trap shut and sealed. But no one was with him. He was on his own and that was bad. Really, really bad.

"Mad Harriet, help me escort him to Darkseid. Stompa, take Bernadeth to the medics and find out what he did to her," the woman ordered. The big woman, Stompa, carried the still immobilized woman, who had to be Bernadeth, one way while the first woman and Mad Harriet approached Caspar who tried to back away from them with little success. He was in too much pain to really do anything. It literally felt like Mad Harriet had ripped some of his flesh off his bone and when he looked over at the berserk woman, she was grinning widely, actually holding bloody muscle in her hand. Caspar was going to puke.

The first woman grabbed a fistful of his red hair when he had been grossly captivated by what Mad Harriet was holding. With a strong and painful tug, she literally began to drag him through the gates and towards Darkseid's palace. Caspar scrambled for purchase with a useless leg to reduce the pain his scalp was in. But nothing worked as his working leg kept losing its grip and his hands clamped on the woman's arm weren't really helping him lift himself up to relieve the pressure. He was tempted to shock this woman but second guessed it being a great idea when both women could easily tear him apart once they realized all they had to do was remove his Nemean Lion jacket.

None of them spoke, but Caspar did make noise. His still bleeding leg jostling painfully and the constant pressure on his scalp were overbearing. He was not made for pain like this. His body could stand the pangs of hunger and dehydration for the most part, but never the actual physical pains his friends could. He was made more for survival off of very little, not the rough and tumble fights his friends engaged in. It was why he was the archer. He didn't have to get in too close, didn't have to receive punches and kicks, and didn't have to try and deliver them. Just a bow and a quiver full of arrows was all he needed in a fight.

Caspar felt like he was the weak link. In this situation, Michi and Danielle would have dominated easily. This world was made of metal and something similar to rock underneath that Michi would have bended it all. And he could stand pain. Caspar had seen his scars and knew what Mad Harriet had done to him would have been child's play to Michi. Danielle had her ghostly powers and accelerated healing. She might have still cried out and been momentarily immobilized by part of her leg being torn out, but after a bit she'd have gotten back to her feet and would have continued fighting. She had long range and short range attacks that she could fight all four of the Female Furies with and win. Nevidebla, on the other hand, would have been a tossup in this situation. Caspar reasoned that if Nevidebla's weapons affected them, they didn't stand a chance. And even then, if they didn't, all Nevidebla really needed to do was disarm them or take one of their weapons and use it against the others. She had knowledge of what they carried, probably how they fight, and who their leader was (Caspar had a feeling it was the woman dragging him). Nevidebla was dangerous when she had knowledge. A clever, swift mind combined with a stream of knowledge was a horrible combination, especially one who had as much battle prowess as Nevidebla.

Caspar had none of that.

He couldn't bend; he didn't have ghostly abilities or even a ghost half; he wasn't a demigod: he was human. A full, flesh-and-blood human being with no special skills other than technology wise. He was not made for upfront fights, though he was handling Nightwing rather well. But that had taken a year of training and even then, Caspar knew he wasn't going to win, even before Nightwing started to take out his escrima sticks. Caspar was tech support and the archer. He was nothing else.

And if he was nothing else, what would Darkseid do to him then?

He had made it somewhat clear he was associated with Young Justice somewhat with what he had said. He knew of the platforms and he had gotten here with a lost Father Box—that was what the woman still dragging him had called it, right? But other than that, he held no real value. Danielle have been with him enough that she could tear those platforms apart and with the help of a hero, she'd be fine. Michi and Nevidebla would continue their fighting like they were meant to.

But ... Caspar knew they fell apart when it was only three of them. Two seemed reasonable for each group when they split up. It didn't matter the combination, as long as there was another right beside them, they were fine. But when a group increased to three people, Caspar knew they panicked about the missing member. It happened in Dimension 5 when they had lost Michi. The group had practically crumbled at the seams. And Caspar remembered he had kept Nevidebla and Danielle in reasonable sanity during that time.

He wasn't there. He was the one missing now and he wondered how well Michi would do to keep them all in line. Or if he was even capable of doing such a thing. It was then Caspar came to another conclusion of his part in the team as they kept nearing Darkseid's palace: he was the glue. It was kind of funny. The guy with no special abilities was the glue that kept the others together. But he was always filtering between getting to know each one. He was closest with Michi, then Nevidebla (though that friendship had taken awhile), and finally Danielle.

Worry settled into Caspar's bones as he thought of what his friends were doing now.

None of them were rainbows, sunshine, and dancing kittens.

Caspar was jarred out of his thoughts when he was flung to the ground. He looked around, realizing they had somehow gotten into Darkseid's palace and entered his throne room. Caspar had been worrying too much about his friends he forgot about his own problems and the fact he should have been paying attention to his surroundings. Now he didn't know the way out of the palace or even where the throne room was in correlation to any windows so he could at least see how high up he was from the ground.

"Lashina, what is going on?" a deep voice spoke. Caspar looked over at the cracked-skinned man sitting on a throne, angry red eyes glaring down at Caspar. Another man with cracked skin and overgrown flesh connecting his face to his throat in a spiderweb-like way stood to his left and to his right was a huge man with three scars slashing across his face. There was only one thing to do in a situation like this: gulp and pray.

"We found this alien standing outside of your gates. Originally, we were going to kill him, but he said something interesting," the woman who once had a grip on his scalp said. At least Caspar learned her name was Lashina.

"And what was that?" Darkseid practically growled through his scowling face, eyes still concentrated on Caspar's pitiful form.

"He had seemed to obtain a Father Box on his home planet, Earth," Lashina answered and if Caspar wasn't mistaken, there was a sense of smugness in her voice. He flicked his green eyes towards this Female Fury to see her eyes were centered on the man with the odd flesh growth on his face. Caspar felt like he was now some pawn for politics. Again.

"How was he able to use it?" Darkseid asked, or more like ordered.

"I was not able to ask him that," Lashina stated before placing her foot on Caspar's ribs and pressed down. "Why don't you answer for us?"

Her foot was removed but hovered where he lay. He had a feeling no matter what he said, she would make sure her foot met his ribs again.

"I pressed random buttons," Caspar answered honestly, bracing for the inevitable foot that crashed against his ribs. He coughed at the pain lancing his side.

"How did you use the Father Box?" Lashina growled, leaning down so some of her dark green hair tickled Caspar's cheek. He sneered at her.

"I picked the damn thing up, got curious, and put in a random sequence of buttons. One moment, I'm on the streets of New Orleans, next I'm on this fucking planet with fuckwads," Caspar snapped, knowing he was now really asking for it. Lashina turned her gaze to Darkseid who nodded, face steely, cold, and scowling. She lifted her foot again and Caspar could see that it would have more force behind it, enough to break a rib or two. And he decided if he was more than likely going to die now, he might as well fight back. It didn't matter if he was good or not, anything was better than just dying a pathetic mess. When the foot made contact with him, Caspar sucked in a breath at the pain and swung an arm out, activating the wave of blue electricity. It arced and surged around the metal interior of the room. It seemed to ignore Caspar, who was low on the ground, and settled for Mad Harriet and Lashina who were closest to him.

Both screamed as Caspar shoved Lashina's foot off of him. He scrambled away from them on his hands and working leg, his other one leaving behind a trail of blood. With his pathetic crawling and position, Caspar was able to activate his boot of his working leg. And just in time as Mad Harriet leapt at him with her claws, going for his face as she pinned him down. Caspar squirmed, shrimped, and blocked as best he could until his working leg was positioned between Mad Harriet and himself. He sent a bolt of electricity into her when his boot was placed on her stomach, eliciting in another scream from the mad woman. Caspar snatched one of her arms and lifted his useful leg to wrap around her head, then he twisted with all his might. Mad Harriet fell onto her back and Caspar took her arm and snapped it at an angle with his arms and the leverage provided to him by his leg. The berserk woman screamed and tried to move, making Caspar give her another shock of electricity.

He would have done more if Lashina hadn't dragged him off Mad Harriet and electrocuted himself with her whips, leaving a long, red mark down the front of his body where the Nemean Lion jacket had opened sometime in the struggle. Caspar pressed a hand to the wound as he tried not to faint from the pain. How in the hell did Michi do this? Caspar wanted to know. Danielle had a high pain tolerance due to her ghostly form and Nevidebla could make anything recede with enough adrenaline coursing through her body. But Michi still had all his pain receptors and couldn't really block things out with adrenaline. Caspar reasoned it was his father that made Michi as tolerable as he was or to keep fighting or not show his weakness as strongly as Caspar was.

"Is there any other information you gathered from him, Lashina?" Darkseid ordered as Caspar stayed on the ground, trying and utterly failing to make the pain go away. Was someone ringing an annoying alarm? They should really stop. It was irritating Caspar to no end.

"He said he knows of the machines you have been setting up on Earth," Lashina answered.

"You are a part of the other group interfering with my plans?" Darkseid snarled at Caspar who weakly nodded. "What do you personally do in your group?"

"Tear ... machines ... apart," Caspar gasped, deciding he didn't want to be whipped or electrocuted again anytime soon. As long as he didn't mention names or was stubborn enough to create fake ones and make them believable, he was good. Hopefully.

"Darkseid, may I suggest something that would be best for us," the man with the flesh growth asked, causing the glowing red scowl to focus on him. He barely even flinched. "If I could use him as a test subject, I can hopefully create the machines so advanced not even the heroes would be able to disable them. And even then, I could figure out the best place to put bombs in afterwards for a farther safety measure."

Caspar could see Darkseid contemplating two trains of thought. He was scared to know the second one, but he had a good suspicion on what it was.

"Savage, what do you believe would be the best course of action?" Darkseid asked, turning to the man who looked more human, and yet not, out of all of them. Caspar didn't even try to stare at him imploringly. It would be pointless. Even he could tell he was a heartless man who more than likely wouldn't mind gutting him.

"Killing him would be best. He could not try to escape or return back to Earth to inform them of what we are doing," savage said, tilting his head to the side, his mouth turned downwards and his eyes lighting with calculated fury. Caspar hated that look. "But Desaad made a logical point of the help he could be in taking these machines to the next step. It's obvious he's smart enough if he found a way to turn a Father Box on without instructions beforehand, even if it was mere guessing. The only problem I can see of him is that he's willing to fight back if the display before wasn't enough. But he should be weak enough to break."

Caspar would rather be killed at the moment. It sounded _so_ much better than helping madmen design machines that would wipe out a whole planet with an invasion of monsters along with said madmen trying to break him into some slave. Caspar wasn't a slave and he never would be. If there was one thing he could fight for without anyone beside him, it was for his own freedom. It was dear to him, something he recalled his whole family wanting. They wanted to escape the clogging oppression of overwork and underpaid labor they did. Even when he was homeless and on the streets by himself, he was more free than he had ever been. Something about no responsibilities like what his family went through made any fellow feel free, despite not having a cent to their name.

It was going to be a long and painful road ahead of him but he steeled himself. Caspar alone had gotten himself into this so he alone would get himself out of here. Or he could cause a revolt. That sounded better, actually. If he could escape Darkseid's palace and make it to Armagetto, there was a chance he could team up with those oppressed and overthrow the tyrannical rule of Darkseid and his Elite.

Caspar wanted to scoff at the notion of him leading a revolt but thought better of it.

"Thank you for your advice gentlemen, and I must agree, he does prove more useful alive. Lashina, Mad Harriet, take him to the cells and remove his bag along with his gloves and shoes from his person. Dismissed," Darkseid ordered. Caspar was dragged out again by his hair and he decided he was going to leave that throne room a cursing mess. He wasn't one for cursing too much, but the situation called for all his knowledge on those words to spill forth. He even went as far as to start saying the curses Nevidebla had taught him in both Greek and Latin. It was interesting to see some of their faces when they discerned whatever he was saying. Lashina was the best, her face becoming angrier as she continued to drag him away. Caspar would have to ask what Nevidebla had been saying in those languages just to know what would cause such women to become furious.

Too soon, they had reached the cells. His bag, gloves, and boots were roughly pulled off him before he was shoved in. The door closed behind him, leaving Caspar for himself. Sighing, Caspar removed his jackets to get to his shirt. Once removing the black garment, he wrapped it around his bleeding leg as tightly as he could and pray that he didn't get an infection. Once that was done, he put his jackets back on and looked around the cell. There was a toilet, a sink, and slab of rock for him to sleep on with a flat pillow to rest his head on. Rubbing his eyes, Caspar crawled over to the bed. He wasn't going to pass up a chance to sleep after the last few days. Besides, what Caspar could gather, he was going to need every second to sleep if he was going to get back to Earth and to his friends to stop this interdimensional mess that Darkseid and his goons were too stupid to realize they had created.

 **Author's Note**

 **I looked up anything pertaining to Apokolips and I am sorry if I messed something up. If I did and you tell me, do not expect it to change. At the moment, this took forever to look up so I could get some of this correct. I do not feel like going over this chapter to change it to be more accurate. This is a fanfiction site, I can literally twist facts to fit my ideas.**

 **If you have a suggestion on a character from Apokolips you want to appear, inform me and I'll see what I can do, but I don't really guarantee anything.**

 **Question: what do you think Caspar's middle name is?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note**

 **Okay, I'm actually doing better than I thought I originally would be with updates. Sweet! And I more than likely just jinxed myself.**

 **Reviews:**

 **lumigo akvo9504: Thank you. Hopefully this chapter has some action in it but I think more of it as a filler chapter at the moment, but it still has enough information in it that's important.**

 **MrCcoz: I'm glad you found some time to read my story and that you're loving the way it's heading. I'll be honest, until chapter eight, I hadn't even thought of one of them ending up on Apokolips, but then inspiration struck and I rolled with it.**

 **Answer: Caspar's middle name is Lucius.**

* * *

 **ELEVEN**

 **The Start of Crumbling**

 **December 8, 2016  
18:34 CST  
Abandoned Sector of New Orleans, Louisiana**

Danielle flew back down to the street when the battle was over, changing back into her human form, feeling the semi warmth of blood return and her heart beginning to pound somewhat faster. She took in deep breaths, feeling slightly worn, but not as bad as her friends more than likely did. Her ghost form gave her energy to spare that she could almost be labeled ADHD. Stretching her limbs, Danielle scanned the people.

Wonder Girl was being patched up by Nevidebla, both blondes joking. Danielle took note of the wounds Wonder Girl had obtained. Apparently even the demigods here weren't immune to Celestial bronze weapons. Superboy was sitting down by Michi who had sprawled himself on the ground, his hands fisting into the asphalt rhythmically as his face contorted. His limbs shook and Danielle knew he was stretching from the fight. Kid Flash was eating some food and looking around while Nightwing seemed to be approaching Danielle. And Caspar was ...

Danielle snapped to attention and looking around, noticing the lack of techie redhead.

Nightwing finally approached Danielle as she kept trying to figure out where her friend could have gone. When he opened his mouth, Danielle beat him to whatever he was going to say with her own question: "Where's Caspar?"

That seemed to make Michi sit up immediately from where he was lying and Nevidebla to quickly finish wrapping Wonder Girl's injuries. Kid Flash sped over as Superboy helped Michi up.

"I saw him go off after one of those snake-women. He seemed to have it covered," Kid Flash said. Danielle shot him a look but understood his reasoning. Caspar wasn't helpless, but she was protective of her friends, almost on the verge of overprotection. Though Danielle would argue that Michi took the cake on that one, especially when it came down to them receiving any form of injury.

"Michi, see if you can sense him. Go as far as you can," Danielle ordered before looking at Nevidebla. "I know you aren't good at it, Nevi, but you think you can do your doorway jumping? I'll fly over and try to contact him through the Fenton Phones."

"Aye-aye Captain," Nevidebla said, racing off at a doorway of one of the surrounding buildings. Once she was in, she seemed to warp for a brief moment before disappearing all together. Danielle knew the heroes were shocked by the display. Even she had been intrigued when Nevidebla had explained the ability very few children of Hermes possessed. It was a way of quick travel as long as the doorway was a simple entrance or unlocked. Nevidebla had explained if it was locked, she would stop outside of the locked doorway and have to pick the lock. When asked more about the gift, Nevidebla had gone into farther detail of it being used more commonly as easy entrance for thieves and quick delivery for mail.

Michi didn't say anything, just took his shoes off along with his one sock. It left him touching the asphalt of the desolate street with his bare foot and prosthetic. He shifted into a wide stance, closed his eyes, and lifted his prosthetic leg before it hit the ground with a soft bang. Danielle watched as Michi's eyelids shifted around and his head cocked ever so slightly one way before he shifted out of the stance and opened his eyes to reveal the steely grey.

"He's not within a ten block radius if he's still on the ground," Michi reported, pulling his sock and boots back on. Danielle nodded as she let her white rings form around her waist. Her ghostly form was brought forth in a chilliness settling into her bones and her heartbeat becoming so low that Danielle couldn't feel it even if she concentrated everything she had on it. As simple as breathing air, Danielle let go of the pull of gravity and soared up into the sky, zipping across the azure expanse in a twenty block radius for a sign of her redheaded friend. She touched her Fenton Phone and tried to contact him.

" _Caspar, where are you?_ " Danielle asked to no reply. " _Caspar, if you can hear me and are able to respond, say something. I don't even care if you start cursing at me or something._ "

There was still no response which unnerved Danielle. Caspar didn't curse unless he either got permission or he found the situation heavily appropriate. This was a situation for both. Danielle had given him permission and Caspar being lost in general. But there wasn't even a sound from him. She was starting to panic when a glimmer of bronze caught Danielle's eye. She floated down to the street and saw one of Caspar's arrows nestled in a pile of yellow dust. Strange. He usually remembered to grab his arrows. Danielle picked it up and looked around, hoping for a sign of the sickly white-skinned boy. There was nothing.

" _Michi, Nevi, I found one of Caspar's arrows five blocks west from the fight. Care to join?_ " Danielle said.

" _On my way, Captain_ ," Nevidebla responded easily before there was a bit of static.

" _I'll be there soon_ ," Michi answered. Danielle only had to wait a minute or two before they appeared. Nevidebla stumbling out of a doorway, looking dizzy and slightly delirious while Michi skidded around a corner, panting slightly as he jogged over. Danielle held up the arrow to let them see it was Caspar's.

"I found it in this vicinity," Danielle said, motioning around her. Michi nodded.

"I collected the rest of his arrows while you and Nevi were off searching," Michi said, pulling his backpack around to pull out a bundle of arrows. "I only got forty-nine out of the fifty that Caspar usually uses. That means if this is the only arrow out of range of the original location, he was here when he shot it and was around this area when he disappeared."

"Which way would he go?" Nevidebla asked, looking around, eyes roaming from the tops of buildings to the indented streets in their proximal area. "There's nothing that would point where Caspar was going. He'd just go back the way he had come and you would've sensed him by now, Michi, if he had. Something happened to him."

Danielle didn't like Nevidebla's words. She gripped the arrow tighter and looked around, going about the same scan the blonde had done with no end result.

"What would distract Caspar?" Danielle asked, looking at her friends. She knew some, but she needed help coming up with all possibilities.

"Tech, food, spare money, anything related to archery," Nevidebla responded with ease.

"Annoying Nevi, going into techie-freak-out mode, and the occasional history book," Michi answered with a shrug. "None of that's here, though."

"Tech might have," Nevidebla said, looking around the ground. "Caspar gets as impulsive as I constantly am when tech is involved."

Danielle had to agree to that statement. There had been many incidents when Caspar had gotten too close to tech he didn't know about, and none of them had ended well. The halfa could even name some of the outcomes: falling into a tank of jellyfish, collapsing a city hall, the accidental start of a revolution, and more. Caspar just seemed to have this innate ability to create something big from messing with one piece of tech, no matter the size.

She had a feeling this was happening at this very moment.

"Nevi, retrieve the heroes and bring them here. Maybe one of them will have a clue of what is going on here," Danielle sighed. Nevidebla squared her shoulders, jaw clenched, and nodded. With somewhat stiff muscles, she ran straight into a doorway and warped before she was gone.

"Maybe we should try the Fenton Phones again, just encase," Michi suggested. Danielle nodded and placed her hand on the device to contact Caspar.

" _Caspar, come in_ ," Danielle ordered with no result. Sighing, Danielle rubbed her face before an idea came to her. Each Fenton Phone had its own frequency that could contact whoever it was. Messing with the dial, Danielle waited until it clicked three times to indicate she was on Caspar's private frequency before trying again. " _Caspar, come in_."

There was nothing but static. Danielle's glowing green eyes widened at the implications.

"He's out of the solar system," Danielle whispered, making Michi stiffen. She had explained to them how far reaching the Fenton Phones could go. It was after Danny had to do some missions in space that he and his friends had made sure the Fenton Phones could transmit anything. They were so powerful that even if two people were on opposite sides of the solar system they were in, they'd still be able to hear one another without static. The noise that buzzed in Danielle's ear was a stark reminder that Caspar was out of her range and she had no clue on how far. Caspar, if he was here, would know by the frequency, noise, and other numerals that Danielle didn't know about. Not even Nevidebla could truly solve the mystery on how to deal with the tech.

"Shit," Michi whispered, gripping his hair as Danielle switched back to the common frequency of the Fenton Phones.

"What'd I miss?" Nevidebla gasped when she popped back out of the doorway.

"He's in another system, maybe even galaxy," Danielle answered heavily as Nevidebla stopped moving.

"You tried to contact him that way, huh?" Nevidebla asked in a small whisper. Danielle could only nod in confirmation. "There's no chance we can just find him on our own, then."

"Then how do we find him?" Michi asked.

"We can ask the Justice League for help and maybe they can get the Green Lantern Corps to help us out," Nevidebla explained. "Oh, and the others are on their way."

When she said that, Kid Flash skidded to a stop near them with a forced smile. Danielle could see he was freaking out even if he barely knew them. Wonder Girl landed next to him a few seconds later followed by the running forms of Conner and Nightwing.

"What's happened?" Nightwing asked, walking up to Danielle. She stood her ground even if she did want to submit slightly. Maybe it was the fact he radiated a slight alpha-male presence.

"We've come to the conclusion that Caspar managed to get himself outside of the solar system," Danielle answered, waving the arrow in her hand slightly. " _How_ he managed that, we don't know."

"How do you know he is out of the solar system?" Nightwing asked.

"Lovely invention of my aunt and uncle's," Danielle said, tapping her Fenton Phone. "They have a range from one end of a system to another without any side effects but once one person gets out of said system, there's static. Considering this is space we're talking about, Caspar's anywhere but _this_ solar system. I want to know if there's any known way to get out of the solar system that is tech related."

"He would just pick up random tech and mess with it?" Wonder Girl asked, rubbing one of her bandaged arms.

"Don't rub that," Nevidebla commanded, "and it's Caspar. He's impulsive around tech."

Danielle felt her empty hand clench into a fist as thoughts started to invade her mind. Caspar could be anywhere. He might even be dead. There were only so many planets that were habitable for humans. If Caspar didn't manage to land on any of them, he was dead. But Danielle had a feeling knowing his luck, he was on a planet that could support human life but it would be inhabited by aliens less than hospitable towards him. And that worried her more. Caspar wouldn't be dead immediately but feel terror and pain. It might be a quick death or a very slow and painful one. Depending on the culture, it could be barbaric techniques like Blood Eagles and Iron Maidens to name a few, or more advanced ones including fear-inducing chemicals or laser-related injuries.

This was not helping her. Danielle forced all her congealing thoughts down as she remained focus. But one quick glance at Nevidebla and Michi and she knew they were in as much turmoil as she was. She didn't know how to comfort them because she didn't know how to comfort herself. Her hero complex, her overprotectiveness, was howling to go and find Caspar to bring him back here. Danielle knew Michi was in just as much inner turmoil about that as she was, but he was lucky to have a default position for his emotions and hopefully would remain the rock of the group. Nevidebla was all kinds of frantic energy, her hands shaking and her knees wobbling.

No, that wasn't worry. That was exhaustion. Danielle moved towards Nevidebla as her knees gave out. She caught her friend, ignoring the series of questions as she tried to remember what to do in a situation like this. Nevidebla and Caspar were their healers, and one was passed out while another was MIA. This mission was going downhill fast. It hadn't even been a week and it felt like today alone should have been a month. And it wasn't even close to over.

"She's exhausted," Michi's voice interrupted Danielle's churning thoughts. She repositioned her grip on Nevidebla and turned to look at the others. Superboy stepped forwards, hands extended. Danielle's grip tightened on her best friend, not wanting to relinquish her. It was her obsession coming into startling focus, but she couldn't lose another friend from her sight at the moment.

"I'll keep her in sight," Superboy said calmly as if he could read Danielle's mind. Sighing, knowing in her own exhausted state she couldn't possibly carry Nevidebla, Danielle handed her friend over. Superboy picked her up with ease, cradling her to his chest as if she was just a broken child. And then she was hit with the epiphany they were all broken children.

"Let's get back to the Cave," Nightwing said, looking at Michi's angry expression and Danielle's worried one. "You three need rest and I'll look at our continuous scans to see what energy signature we can pick up that could get Caspar out of the solar system."

Danielle nodded and tugged Michi along as they went back to the Bioship. It was quiet and when they arrived, a small bed was made in the Bioship that Superboy placed Nevidebla on. Danielle and Michi ignored the seats they were sitting in to begin with, settling for sitting on the floor next to Nevidebla. Danielle changed back into her human form with a blast of light as her eyes grew heavy. She kept them focused on her friends, making sure they were okay as Michi spread his legs out and tilted his head to lean against the wall. His eyes slid close and he was out like a light. Danielle yawned, looking back at the heroes, before joining her friends in dreamland, worry still gnawing at her stomach about Caspar.

* * *

 **December 8, 2016  
23:47 EST**  
 **Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

Gar sat at the coffee table, facing the couch instead of the TV.

It had been six hours since the mission group had come back with the three sleeping teenagers and declaring one had gone MIA. He had heard them all discussing that the redhead, Caspar, had somehow managed to get himself out of the solar system. Gar would be the first to admit that was kind of cool, if it wasn't for the fact no one knew where he was or how to contact him at the moment. Nightwing and Robin were holed up in the computer room, sometimes an argument springing up because Nightwing was being an overprotective big brother and Robin being too stubborn to actually go and get proper rest like Gar should have been doing.

But he couldn't sleep.

He had question and he wanted answers. Gar had seen the wound his best friend, Tim aka Robin, had acquired when he came back and Gar was _just_ starting to get over his bought of flu at the time. He heard what the blonde girl had said about what attacked Robin hours ago when things seemed to have been looking up for both groups. She called it a hellhound. Gar wanted information on every single monster that could come through and anyway he could combat them with his animal powers. Could animals even affect these monsters?

But in the past six hours, none of them had moved. Gar knew they had to be exhausted if what Jaime had told him about the adventures he had gathered from them were anything to go by. It was apparent as soon as they appeared in their dimension, the four of them had hit the ground running. The evidence surrounded them and Gar's shape-shifting abilities had heightened his sense of smell, especially in his sapien-form that he constantly kept except in the safety of his room or Megan was the only one around. He could smell the old wounds, the days-old swear, and the lack of showers. His eyes could analyze the slowness behind their movements that not even Nightwing would have noticed despite being trained by the Batman himself. Maybe he shouldn't have known they were moving slower than was normal for them, but he had seen it in the barely-there grimaces, the slight shaking of limbs, and the minuscule shuffle of feet. They hid it well if Gar was the only one to notice.

He'd never say it out loud unless he was under extreme pressure, but he really worried about them. Some part of him had instantly seen them as allies, not enemies like he did for most other people until they gained his trust. All of them had a sense of knowing the true definitions of right and wrong, and sometimes the best outcome in the world does require a little wrong. His instincts were telling him he had to protect them until they had to leave. That something terrible would happen soon and he had to remain alert. No sleeping in his own room, no dropping his sapien-like form, and no heavy sleeping. He could sleep lightly or sleep with his eyes open like Tim had been teaching him to do.

Shaking his head, Gar focused on the image in front of him again.

Danielle had curled herself up on one cushion of the couch near one of the armrests. Her legs were thrown over it and her back was pressed against Michi's side from where he was stationed almost immobile in the center, feet planet, arms crossed, and head tilted back, snoring softly. Nevidebla had migrated from the original spot on the other side of Michi that Conner had placed her in. Somehow, she had managed to crawl onto the top of the backrest of the couch to sleep on like a cat. Gar had even witnessed it while she was asleep and he wanted to know how she didn't fall off while in the process of her strange sleep-crawling-climbing thing. Gar looked at the empty side on Michi's left. He could only assume that was where Caspar would have slept in some way. It was obvious in its own way if one looked carefully at the way Nevidebla's feet seemed like they needed to be placed on something by their position or Michi's left hand kept fisting as if trying to find something that should have been there. Even Danielle seemed worry when her right hand fingers would wiggle in the air as if trying to tickle something.

It was depressing. Gar felt it deep in his soul that they were all a family despite being dimensions apart. Their group was the one thing consistent in their life no matter how little they saw of one another. And it was at that realization that Gar vowed to help in any way he could to bring Caspar back.

He knew all about losing family.

"You should get some sleep," a groggy voice spoke and Gar jumped when Danielle shifted slightly, landing her sky blue eyes on him. She still held an aura of tiredness around her but her eyes spoke of alertness as she watched the green boy. Gar bit his lip as his tail curled around him as if to comfort him.

"I can't," Gar answered easily, fiddling with his fingers. Danielle nodded softly, looking over at her friends and her eyes lingering on the empty space on the other side of Michi.

"She climbed up on the top, didn't she?" Danielle asked, chuckling softly.

"Yep," Gar answered, grinning. "Superboy tried to get her down again but she just kicked him away from her in her sleep."

"That's Nevi for ya," Danielle laughed a little louder this time. "If she can, she'll sleep somewhere high up. When I met her half-brothers Travis and Conner, they told me her first night at Camp Half-Blood, she had slept on the roof, completely giving everyone a heart attack."

Gar joined in with her laughter. It reminded him of the time he had convinced Robin to help him freak out Lagoon Boy when the Team was still in its early stages by hiding in the rafters and vents during a game of hide and seek. It was hilarious until Nightwing was dragged into the mix, then the rules of hide and seek had been put in place: no powers, no vents, and no rafters until you're sixteen. The two were still miffed at the rule. Danielle's laughter spluttered out when she looked back at the empty seat.

"We'll find him," Gar said without any sense of hesitation. "I know it."

Danielle opened her mouth as if to answer but it was ruined by a scream ripping out of Nevidebla's mouth. Her body thrashed until she fell off the couch. Gar reacted instantly, bounding over the table and couch to land next to her, shaking her shoulders. Danielle was up and Michi was cursing out in profanities as he shifted on the couch to look over the side like Danielle was. With a jolt, Nevidebla was awake, hand formed into a fist. The green boy scrambled away just in time to avoid being punched as the blonde sat up and looked around, taking in deep breaths as she relaxed.

"Sorry," Nevidebla gasped.

"Nothing to be sorry about," Gar said with a shrug as Nevidebla rubbed at her eyes. That was when he noticed she had started to cry. "You okay?"

She shook her head no vigorously, pulling her knees to her chest. Gar didn't know what to do. Sure, he knew he was lovable and could comfort just about anyone if he really put his whole being into it. But this was different. The people he'd usually comfort he knew to a degree of friendship or family relation outside of blood. All he knew about Nevidebla was what he was told and what he had seen. Nothing of extreme importance to be of any help.

Danielle and Michi, on the other hand, knew what to do. They both swung themselves over the back of the couch and landed by Nevidebla. Gar watched as Danielle pulled the blonde towards her so both girls were curled near each other like sisters. Michi laid a hand on Nevidebla's shoulder, squeezing it.

"What d'you see?" Danielle asked.

"He's on Apokolips," Nevidebla whispered. Gar's ears twitched at the words, his heart racing. He had heard that word before: Apokolips. The only problem was that he couldn't place on where he had heard it or what it was about.

"What's Apokolips?" Michi asked carefully. Nevidebla shook her head vigorously again, curling even tighter. Gar was freaking out. What was he supposed to do? Should he get Superboy? Or maybe he should get Nightwing? Megan also seemed reasonable but was she really the best option? She did, after all, believe he was asleep.

Planet, dangerous," Nevidebla finally whispered and Gar froze. He knew instantly they were talking about Caspar but how would Nevidebla know the exact planet he was on? Did she have some type of seer dreams? That would be kind of cool, Gar submersed. "Captured, cell, wounded."

He could tell that Nevidebla was losing it, her emotions high and somewhat volatile. His animal instinct and the small amount of Martian blood in his own system were ringing alarm bells. Ignoring them, Gar shifted into a cat and forced himself to be in Nevidebla's lap. She gave him a watery smile as she scratched his head. Gar would never admit that the girl knew how to scratch a cat, he'd even deny the purr that escaped his throat. Or he might if she didn't laugh a small, choking sound. Embarrassment, he decided, would be worth it if her emotions were calming down from their near volatile state.

"Nevi?" Danielle asked softly and Gar twitched his ears and looked at them. Michi had even shuffled closer.

"I saw him in a cell," Nevidebla whispered, her fingers scratching Gar's flank. "He was injured, leg and chest. But the strangest thing was that he was originally asleep before he woke up, seemed to look at my dream-self, and said Apokolips. It was as if he knew I was there."

"Not surprising, really," Michi said, making the girls and cat-Gar look at him. "He's been missing with either me or Dani before. I swear, sometimes I'd hear him say something about our positions to thin air. After a while, I finally concluded he knew you were there, somehow."

"He's done the same with me, too," Danielle said with a nod. Gar was confused but decided to just stay in Nevidebla's lap. He could feel that their words weren't calming her. It was as if they really didn't know any danger about the fact their teammate was on Apokolips. Not that Gar truly knew the dangers. He could only guess it was bad if he was thinking about the fact he was in a cell and injured. But the others—even Nevidebla to some extent—acted like it was normal for them to be captured and injured. No, it was the fact they were missing the name of the planet. Gar could smell the clogging scent and taste it covering his tongue. He could sense all her worry and anger.

Nevidebla's tanned hands picked him up and deposited him in Danielle's lap. She was on her feet instantly, pacing back and forth before she transitioned into handstands. Gar crawled out of Danielle's lap to sit between Michi and her before shifting back into his sapien-like form. He watched as Nevidebla paced in her own way, her agitation making him become agitated and fidgety.

"You don't understand!" Nevidebla finally exploded after getting up from her handstand, waving her hands around crazily. "It's Apokolips he's on! The planet with little oxygen and a militarized economy with practical dictatorship lead by Darkseid and his Elites. The enforcers are the Parademons, the special enforcers are the Female Furies. And knowing Caspar's luck, he went up against the Female Furies. And the fact they're keeping him alive is unnerving. Darkseid wouldn't just let anyone _live_ without reason, especially if they invaded his planet. Somehow, his advisers or Caspar himself gave him reason to keep Carrot-Top alive. And it won't matter what you think, because that's still dangerous for Caspar. He might be tortured or when he's declared not to be of a use anymore, he'll be killed. Caspar has a little ticking clock for his life at the moment. He more than likely knows what his deadline is but we don't. And ... and ... I just want my brother back!"

Nevidebla collapsed onto her knees with a hollow thud, crying. Danielle surged forwards to hug Nevidebla but Gar noticed her own tears. Michi was still, his hands fisting into the floor. The green boy felt like he was intruding on a moment he had no right to even glimpse, yet alone see it all. His hands came together and he played with his fingers, looking down. For a traitorous moment, he saw the waterfall and his mother falling. He realized he almost had it easy. There was no way he liked the fact his mother was dead, no boy with a healthy relationship with any parent would. But he at least had the knowledge she was dead right off the bat. These three ... there was no telling if Caspar would make it out or not. And Gar knew that was worse.

He got to his feet and made his way over silently so he stood in front of them before crouching down. For a small, minuscule moment, he wanted to shift to be more boy-like, to his green-stained human form. But he squelched the thought as both girls looked at him.

"I promise we'll help you get him back. And even if no one else wants to help, I will. I might not know a good deal of everything and animal powers aren't always what they're cracked up to be, but I'll help," Gar said sincerely. He was not expecting Nevidebla to lunge forwards and wrap him in a hug. He was frozen for a moment before he hugged her back. No one really wanted to hug him after barely knowing him or just meeting him. It was his green skin and sapien-looking form, he knew it was. The older members were fine with hugging him to death and when the others came around, they grew accustomed to his appearance and became comfortable. But no one was as willing as Nevidebla was.

"Thank you, Beast Boy," Nevidebla whispered and Gar felt happy and then guilty for being happy in this situation.

"You're welcome. But I think we all need sleep, though," Gar said, pulling away and grinning, looking around. "Of what Blue's told me, you three haven't gotten enough sleep. Besides, tomorrow's a new day. Maybe some way to get Caspar back will come up."

"He's right. Come on," Danielle said, getting up. Michi seemed to shake out of his shook. Gar watched the three make their way to the couch, going back to their original positions. After a moment of hesitation, Gar shifted back into a cat and jumped onto the back of the couch. He knew the others were watching him as he curled up near Nevidebla's thighs and right behind Michi's head, just a little off center from Danielle's. As his animal instincts he dictated, he was not leaving them alone if he could help it. Something was going to happen in the upcoming days and he was going to keep them safe to the best of his abilities.

He started to drift into a light sleep, his mind already preparing itself for whatever was to come tomorrow.

* * *

 **December 9, 2016  
7:00 EST**  
 **Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

Gar woke up to a scent he couldn't identify invading the cave. He perked up at that, lifting his feline head slightly to look around and pinpoint where the smell was coming from. It wafted from the kitchen, smelling of wind and ... snakes. Gar crinkled his nose at that, curious on why those two smells seemed to be the predominant ones, before he pulled himself from his spot on top of the couch with Nevidebla. He leapt down and silently stalked towards the kitchen, entering and immediately catching sight of a man placing duffel bags onto the counter. Gar froze as the duffel bags seemed to appear out of nowhere.

What was going on? Were those bombs? He was not losing another home!

Gar talked forwards on stiff legs, morphing into a wolf as he went, growling deep in his throat. The man turned and Gar finally took him in. He wore nylon shorts, some marathon shirt for Manhattan, and running shoes. He had salt-and-pepper hair and a sly grin that Gar vaguely remembered Nevidebla wearing before the strangers were called out and Caspar had gone MIA. But Gar was stumped on the eyes. They were leaning towards blue but they had that glint of mischief and cleverness that Nevidebla had always had, even when she was crying. Gar stopped his growling and morphed into his sapien-form as he stared the man down.

"Who are you? Why are you here? What are those?" Gar asked rapidly. The man's smile shifted slightly and Gar noticed how it almost seemed strained for some reason.

"My daughter's request to help you," the man said, patting the bags lightly before giving Gar an inquisitive look. "Do you know where she is? I have a personal gift to her from a certain son of Vulcan."

Gar gave him a look, having the smallest inclination on who this man was.

"Living room," Gar said, walking out, watching the man carefully. He was still in protective mode from all his animal instincts. The man immediately made his way over to Nevidebla, smiling softly as he shook her shoulder gently. Gar watched the exchange and his need to protect dwindled slightly to be more bearable. There was something so tender about the moment that yet again, he felt like he was intruding on something private.

"Nevi, _mia malgranda fantomo_ , wake up," the man whispered softly, smiling as Nevidebla shifted.

" _Kvin minutoj, Paĉjo_ ," Nevidebla mumbled. Gar wanted to know what they were saying but at the same time felt like that was intruding too much, so he just remained quiet.

The man laughed, shaking his head, " _Neniu povas fari. Vi havas heroojn trejni._ "

Gar watched as Nevidebla finally sat up and opened her eyes, yawning widely and rubbing her eyes. She blinked and Gar watched as surprise and elation overtook her features. Then she lunged forwards, hugging the man tightly as if he was a lifeline. Gar felt his lips twitch upwards in a nostalgic smile. This reminded him of him and his mother, of a child embracing a parent they loved.

" _Paĉjo!_ " Nevidebla exclaimed happily. " _Kiel la transdonoj?_ "

" _Egis_ ," the man stated bluntly. Nevidebla laughed.

" _Kiom estas miaj gefratoj?_ " Nevidebla asked. Gar shook his head, smile still in place, coming to the conclusion there was no way he was going to understand what either was saying.

" _Maltrankviligante vin, kiel mi estas certa filo de Vulcan_ ," the man responded and Gar watched as Nevidebla's tanned face burst into a bright hue. Screw privacy, he would find out exactly what this man said to her now. Then the man pulled out a simply wrapped box in brown paper with a small green ribbon. " _Li ankaŭ sendis donacon kune kun la armiloj por vi._ "

Gar watched, transfixed, as Nevidebla's face got even redder. It was at this point that Danielle and Michi awoke to the noise and looked over. He watched as both smiled as if this man was always showing up.

"Hello, Lord Hermes," Danielle said.

"Hello Dani. Hello Michi," Hermes said, looking at the empty spot and scrunching his brow. "Where's Caspar?"

"He's stuck on Apokolips, _Paĉjo_ ," Nevidebla whispered, voice wobbling. The man, Hermes, pulled Nevidebla into a tight embrace, whispering words in the language they were speaking before he pulled away, stroking her hair.

"He's a resourceful kid, he'll be back," Hermes said.

" _Dankon_ ," Nevidebla whispered. "Did they label who gets what weapons?"

"Yes," Hermes said with a nod before looking back at Gar. "I swear if it wasn't for the collaboration between the Hephaestus and Hecate Cabins, this green guy wouldn't even have a weapon he could use with his abilities."

"What?" Gar asked. Weapons didn't correlate well with animals. Giving an animal a tool was like giving a human raw meat and saying they had to eat it without gagging, puking, getting sick, or acquiring a parasite: damn near impossible to do.

"What'd they do? Make grills?" Danielle asked, her voice joking.

"That would be reasonable," Michi pointed out. "And with children of Hecate helping out, it would be able to keep up with his morphing abilities hopefully."

"That's so cool!" Nevidebla exclaimed turning to grin at Gar. "You could actually bite monsters now and it'd affect them."

Gar perked up at that, finally finding a way he could help make sure no one else was injured as much as Tim as. And it was obviously thanks to this man for delivering the items so Gar turned to him, giving him a big grin.

"Thanks," Gar said.

"It wasn't all me," Hermes said with a shrug, tapping Nevidebla on the nose. "You should thank, _mia malgranda fantomo_. She thought ahead and contacted a friend to get everything set up while I delivered."

Gar bounced over and gave Nevidebla a hug, "Thanks."

"No problem Beast Boy," Nevidebla answered, returning it before her grip turned a little shaky. He knew she was thinking about Caspar. Gar prayed he hadn't triggered anything.

"Now, you three, behave," Hermes commanded, giving them a mild glare that they smiled at. "I might see you again sometime. Nevi, you know how to contact me if you need to make a delivery, especially to a certain someone." At those words, he tapped the git, making the blonde blush even more. " _Adiaŭ, mia malgranda fantomo._ "

" _Adiaŭ, Paĉjo_ ," Nevidebla answered, wrapping the man in a hug. Gar watched as he stepped back and disappeared in a warping flash. It was quiet for a moment before Danielle jumped to her feet.

"Let's see what they came up with!" Danielle exclaimed, racing into the kitchen, Michi and Nevidebla on her heels. Gar followed after them, seeing all three working on opening up the duffel bags.

"Found the grills," Michi said, holding up bronze grills. Gar looked at them carefully. There was nothing special about them sight wise but he had a feeling what made them special was something he couldn't see. But Gar could smell something off about them from typical bronze. Michi handed them to him and Gar was skeptical but put them in. He could feel them molding to his teeth as if it was some type of second wave of protection. Deciding he needed to test these out, he backed away from the counter and changed into a cat. The other three leaned over and Gar flashed them a feline grin. He could still feel the grills and when he got thumbs up from all three, he shifted back and pulled them out.

"These are so cool," Gar exclaimed, grinning widely. The others grinned before noise was heard and Tim stumbled in on his crutches, muttering some explicit words beneath his breath that Gar would not be repeating anytime soon. "Rob! Come check these out!"

Gar ignored the look Tim was giving him as he hobbled over to the bags and stared at them. The green boy knew his friend was trying to figure out how they got there. It was obvious the other three weren't just carrying them around with them. Gar rolled his eyes and quickly jabbed his friend in the side. It was a trick Gar had learned in his years of being Tim's friend. It was his secret spot for letting anything spill that was troubling him.

"Where'd those come from?" Tim blurted out before he slapped a hand over his mouth and glared at Gar behind his glasses. The sapien-looking boy grinned cheekily as he hopped onto the counter. "Hey! Get down. Megan doesn't like it when you do that." Gar groaned but flipped off, landing on his feet and his tail kept him balanced. Tim rolled his eyes and looked at the bags. "But seriously, where'd those come from?"

"My dad delivered them," Nevidebla answered, pulling out a set of escrima sticks, pressing a button and Gar jumped back when spearheads popped out of the ends. "Useful. Nightwing will like these, right?"

"Yeah, sure," Tim said, shaking his head. "But _how'd_ your dad deliver them? The security system should have caught him."

"You underestimate the abilities of the Olympians," Nevidebla answered, grinning and Gar got a sense of déjà vu, like he was finally seeing what Megan and Tim were talking about: that he hid behind his smiles and jokes. Her eyes held a small glimmer of sadness while her smile remained almost natural across her face, but if Gar squinted and tilted his head _just_ right, he could see it. That forceful stretch of muscles that wasn't natural.

"How so?" Tim asked, seeming to either ignore or not notice the very well-played act. Gar had a feeling it was the former. Tim, after all, had been trained by _the_ Batman.

"If they want, they can easily screw up technology with their presence alone. My dad probably temporarily disabled your system without it alerting you or made it go on loop," Nevidebla answered with a shrug. "It's the Mist, basically. All demigods, to a degree, use it. For the most part, it's a subconscious ability to contort the Mist so it covers up our myths from mortals' gazes. There are a few who can shatter these things and see right on few. Then there are demigods who have a better understanding of the Mist and thus a better extension on using it. Take Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, for example. She's the leading sorceress when it comes to the Mist. She's gifted in the field. All of Hecate's children flock to her for lessons. Even I did when I learned I had an ability for it. To control the Mist, however, all one needs to know are two basic truths: you cannot force an image but contort reality to fit someone else's, and creativity is a must because every situation is always different."

"Um ..." Gar said, confused. Nevidebla smiled, shaking her head as she dug through the duffel bag again. Gar noticed the wrapped gift resting next to her, not opened yet. "Hey, aren't you gonna open that?"

He pointed to the box as Nevidebla blushed again. Michi and Danielle shared a smirk as Tim grew intrigued. Gar then watched as Danielle made a move as if to talk to someone before remembering they weren't there. His heart pinged at the realization that she more than likely was going to talk to Caspar to tease Nevidebla about something. But he wasn't there. Even Michi and Nevidebla seemed to be expecting something before both shoulders slumped at not a single noise.

"I ... yeah," Nevidebla whispered, pulling on the ribbon so the green fell away. She ripped off the brown paper by the seams before she pulled out a simple orange box. Nevidebla made a snorting noise in the back of her throat before she opened it and raised an eyebrow, taking out a note. Gar watched her read it, watching her face carefully as it lifted into a smirk and her eyes glittered something on the verge of sly determination. The green boy shuddered as did Tim, but only slightly.

"So ... what'd Isaiah send you?" Danielle said, a teasing tone entering her voice and drawing Nevidebla out of her thoughts.

"A ... a necklace," Nevidebla said, sighing as if she was expecting some ridicule. Danielle was giggling hysterically. Michi snorted, shaking his head.

"When are you two going to kiss? This is excruciating for us and we don't even _see_ how you two skirt around each other," Michi said. Nevidebla stuck her tongue out and pulled the necklace out. Gar blinked at the series of gears in a circle for the medallion with a needle in the center.

"What is that?" Danielle asked.

"An astrolabe," Nevidebla said happily. Gar saw her smile twitch and her eyes cloud a little. "My mom used to have one. I got it before I was sent to my foster home, but it was destroyed when I was eight. I think I made a small comment about it to Isaiah and now ... he made me one."

"Yes, but it probably has more to it than what a regular astrolabe does," Michi said, looking intrigued. Gar didn't like the smirk Nevidebla had on her face as her hands glided over the back and she pulled out a desk. Her thumb pressed down on some button and sharp points surrounded it like teeth or made the disk look like a throwing star.

"There's fifty of them and they do return with time but with a press of a button on the astrolabe, they come back sooner," Nevidebla said, putting the necklace on and hiding it beneath her shirt. "We should probably get back to this."

Gar watched as the three went through the duffel bags. He wasn't paying attention to what they put on the counter, but more on them in general. It was slow and small, but Gar could see them crumbling. There was no vigor to them and even the jokes they said between each other was bland. Michi was residing into himself, Danielle was putting too much of herself out, and Nevidebla was forcing herself to be normal. Gar shared a look with Tim and got a small confirmation nod that he was seeing it, too.

Minutes passed and the rest of the Team had come in to get breakfast, asking about the bags and receiving the same answer: it's to help you fight these monsters. Gar ate his second bowl of cereal slowly, watching the three carefully. It was increasing in intensity how they were falling as the minutes passed and how many times they were forced to converse outside of their own group. He didn't know what to do or how to help them.

When Nightwing walked in, Danielle had reported what Nevidebla had gleaned from her dream. Gar zoned out of Nightwing's interrogation about Nevidebla's dream and looked around the room. Bart was racing around, talking animatedly, while Jaime just stood there with an amused look on his face. Tim was stationed next to him, muttering some things about his leg as he chewed on a bagel. Cassie and Karen were talking. Megan, Artemis, and Batgirl were talking about something that Gar didn't know. Conner was standing by himself at the moment and Lagoon Boy was splayed on the couch at the moment with Virgil chatting him up. Life seemed normal but Gar could smell the turmoil in the air, most of it coming from the strangers at losing one of their own.

Everything was making the animalistic part of him roll and repeal as his little Martian blood made everything so much stronger. He'd never be able to read minds, but he knew he'd always have a better sense of emotion, even going beyond what a typical animal should be able to do. Gar's tail curled around one of his legs in his own comfort as the turmoil kept increasing little by little as time wore on.

As if life couldn't be more complicated, the alarms for the security of the Cave went off.

* * *

 **Translations:**

 **Esperanto:**

 **mia malgranda fantomo:** my little ghost  
 **Kvin minutoj, Paĉjo:** Five more minutes, Dad  
 **Neniu povas fari:** No can do  
 **Vi havas heroojn trejni:** You have heroes to train  
 **Kiel la transdonoj?:** How are the deliveries?  
 **Egis:** excruciating  
 **Kiom estas miaj gefratoj?:** How are my siblings?  
 **Maltrankviligante vin, kiel mi estas certa filo de Vulcan:** Worrying about you, just like I am and a certain son of Vulcan  
 **Li ankaŭ sendis donacon kune kun la armiloj por vi:** He also sent a gift along with the weapons for you  
 **Dankon:** thank you  
 **Adiaŭ:** goodbye


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note**

 **Sorry for the late update. School is evil.**

 **Reviews:**

 **lumigo akvo9504: Thank you for the compliment, and I found writing in BB's prospective rather fun.**

 **Creatively Insane Randomness: First, I love your username. Second, it's wonderful to find someone else who loves Legend. I'll admit, the story might not have started when Caspar has been introduced, but if I write a second edition to these guys, I'll make sure the story is starting in Caspar's world.**

* * *

 **TWELVE**

 **The Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter, the Frootloop, & the First Test**

 **December 9, 2016  
08:02 EST  
Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

Danielle felt the familiar, tickling chill of her ghost sense as her mouth opened up in a gasp. The swirling blue came out as the alarm system for the Cave went off. She felt dread overtake her as her friends collected their weapons, Michi seeming the most nervous. They didn't have Caspar, their sharpshooter and techie, with them now. This would end terribly, especially if the ghost happened to be Skulker. Danielle _hated_ Skulker for many reasons, somehow all of them being tired back to Danny or Vlad.

Danielle went ghost, grabbed her friends, and raced to where her inner homing device for ghosts lead her. They reached the training room they were in just yesterday—was it really yesterday? It felt like a week ago at the least. She scanned the room until, low and behold, Skulker came into appearance in his mechanized exoskeleton with a flaming green Mohawk and goatee, black boots, and black clothes fitting for a hunter in the jungle. He even wore a belt and two magazines for automatic guns wrapped around his chest. The worse was his leering, smug smirk focused on Danielle.

"I see the bored dock is not here," Skulker said, his smirk becoming smugger if possible.

"On behalf of Caspar, it's _Braddock!_ " Nevidebla snapped, making Danielle's lip twitch. She didn't know if it was supposed to be in a smirk or a frown. She settled for not even trying to understand what the emotion was.

"Nevi, Michi, you know what to do," Danielle said, grimacing in preparation for what was to happen. She could hear the noise of the heroes making their way over. Skulker raised a cannon and aimed. Danielle put up a green bubble to realize too late Skulker was aiming at the door, the area being covered in some sticky, glowing green goop. Thuds were heard and the substance strained before it kept snapping back into place. This was not good.

"That's nasty looking," Nevidebla whispered, shuddering.

"Yeah it is," Danielle agreed, making a face quickly before keeping an eye on Skulker. "What do you want, Skulker?"

"I'm just following the orders of my client," Skulker answered, raising the gun. Danielle lowered her arms and the three friends scattered. Nevidebla had ran for cover behind some targets near the rock wall while Michi ducked down into the bleachers. That left Danielle running at Skulker and start a fight, fear and adrenaline pumping in her veins. If Caspar was here, the fight would be over with quickly. He could hack into Skulker's armor, shut him down, and then all that was left was to remove the booger-sized irritant out of the thing before sucking him into the thermos and destroying his suit. But Caspar _wasn't_ here and that left too many openings that Skulker could use to his advantage. Danielle knew she couldn't fight Skulker without help despite whatever people thought. It was sad to say, but Danielle understood why he called himself the Ghost Zone's "greatest hunter": he didn't lose his prey when they were on their own. Unless they were Danny Phantom. Then Skulker _did_ lose his prey. The only consultation that Danielle could gather from the situation was at least Nevidebla and Michi were there, the blonde taking aim with her ecto-gun and Michi keeping a firm hold on the Jack o' Nine Tails and a thermos.

The fight in itself was at a stalemate at the moment. Danielle was able to dodge Skulker's punches, knife swings, kicks, and anything else the lunatic was throwing at her. She tried to punch him back, kick him, and blow him back with a well-placed ecto-blast. But Skulker was dodging just as much as her despite being as bulky as he was. Danielle narrowed her eyes, coming to the conclusion that Skulker had really massive upgrades, probably given to him by his _client_. The ghost girl wasn't stupid. Skulker was only really hired by one person: Vlad. And there was no way in the Infinite Realms that she was just going to be taken back to that frootloop.

Danielle got a little break when Nevidebla shot at Skulker, sending him flying to the side. The white-haired ghost held up a hand and shot at Skulker again. It seemed like the battle was going in their favor, but then Skulker took aim at Nevidebla. Before Danielle could even fly in between them to form a shield, Skulker had fired. The green substance from before shot out and encased Nevidebla. The force behind the blast sent her into the rock wall where she stuck, screaming curses in Greek and Esperanto with a little Latin thrown in to spice it up. Danielle sent a barrage of ecto-blasts at Skulker in rapid succession, the irritating armor-wearing booger-sized ghost dodging them all. The ghost girl was getting irritated before a metal bench came sailing to the right and smacked into Skulker.

Danielle couldn't help but to laugh. She couldn't come up with anything witty at the moment. Sheep deprivation plus the worrying anxiety that Caspar was missing equaled scrambled brain. It was actually shocking she was holding herself in a fight at the moment. Skulker shot up and aimed at Michi. This time, Danielle's friend dodged the green substance, Michi sending more metal benches at Skulker with little success since Skulker had become intangible. Danielle lit her hands with ecto-blasts and released them at Skulker when he flickered back into tangibility. He was sent careening into the wall, Nevidebla's near hysterical laughter ringing in the room. Danielle floated down to the ground by Michi, looking at her friend who was panting with his hands on his knees.

"You okay?" Danielle asked, never seeing Michi actually sweating and panting after bending. And this was so little compared to everything else he's done.

"That ... had a mixture ... of platinum ... in it," Michi groaned, sweat dripping off his nose. "Never ... again."

Danielle's thin black eyebrows rose on her face at the information. It was kind of scary to know Michi was so desperate to start bending something most earthbenders couldn't or wouldn't even try just because the metal had a mixture of platinum in it. Danielle opened her mouth to comment but wasn't able to before the green substance hit Michi square in the chest, sending him onto the floor with his hands locked to his sides and legs clamped together. This time, it was Michi was letting out profanity.

"This _is_ disgusting," Michi groaned when the profanities had stopped. Danielle shrugged, turning to face Skulker. She'd rather get her friends out of their _sticky_ situation, but she had Skulker to face. Danielle went back to her barrage of ecto-blasts, which Skulker _still_ kept dodging, moving dangerously closer with each one. It made Danielle switch to throwing ecto-powered punches and kicks as the training room door kept being banged at, letting out resounding metallic clangs into the air. Danielle felt herself tiring as the fight kept going on, making her slip up enough that Skulker was able to get his knife to stab into her upper thigh. The girl's mouth opened in shock before unleashing a pained-filled scream, collapsing to the floor.

"Dani!"

She could hear her friends calling her name but she couldn't respond. Something was working its way into her system, reaching for her ghostly core as the knife was pulled out. Her mind couldn't come up with anything but to resort to her human form, to hide her ghost core beneath layers of blood and typical human organs. When the rings came about and changed her back, the pain was more bearable, but she felt weak. Danielle could barely lift her head and her eyes were drooping. Her mind became fuzzy and she felt sleepy. Then again, to make up for lost sleep, the human body had to double the sleep it lost and get that amount. Maybe it was still catching up on her.

Her eyes slid closed with the last image of a glowing net flying towards her.

* * *

 **December 9, 2016  
Time Unknown  
Location Unknown**

Danielle woke up groggy and having the residing throb of pain. She sat up and looked at her leg where it seemed to be most prominent, seeing gauze wrapped tightly around her upper thigh. There was a note near her leg, which was weird. She went to grab it when she stopped and looked around her better.

She was in a small room with all the surface area glowing. Danielle carefully moved her finger closer to one wall, waiting for some electrical shock that never happened. Once she touched the surface, however, she knew it had been covered in the anti-intangible chemical Danny was talking about. Sighing heavily, Danielle knew she had been taken by Skulker and was either being taken to Vlad or was already there. Judging by the lack of motion, she was already there. She didn't know whether to feel angry or fearful. Angry because she had gotten herself caught. Fearful because she was stuck with the man who had tried to melt her and almost succeeded if it wasn't for Danny and Valerie.

Deciding she might as well, Danielle picked up the note and unfolded it. The neat script of Vlad Masters greeted her eyes in their mocking fluidity.

 _'Relax and build your strength, my dear. The fun hasn't even started yet.'_

He didn't leave a signature saying it was him, but Danielle knew better. She'd been around him after she was created. She recognized his handwriting, the smug attitude that seeped in the words, and the well-fortified cell she was in. Whether she was in human form or ghost form, she couldn't escape. Chewing on her lip, Danielle remembered the pain that Skulker's knife had left her in. For the most part, she could stand a knife wound to the thigh—she's had it done to her before one too many times. But this was different. Something on the knife had her instincts screaming it should not be near her ghost core, that she _had_ to change into her human form to stay alive. It worried her greatly.

Danielle closed her eyes and focused on her ghostly core throbbing just beneath her heart, nestled in between her lungs. It was weaker than usual, going into a near comatose state as if to preserve the pumping of ectoplasm into her being. Screwing her eyes in thought, Danielle reached for it, hoping for the rings to come and transform her. But every time she reached for her core, it slipped out of reach, a hair's breath from her seeking fingers. It was irritating and worrisome. Danielle couldn't transform, she was stuck in her human form. And she didn't know how much her ghost core was pumping ectoplasm into her human body. The most she could do might be the scary eyes, but even that was questionable.

Danielle opened her eyes and sighed heavily. It was better to just assume she had no ghostly abilities. She was human in the fullest sense of the word at the moment, something she had never felt until now. It was too warm, the heartbeat too loud, and her senses were actually duller somehow. She never would have guessed that she had abnormal senses. Sure, her eyesight was slightly above average and her hearing was better than most, but Danielle had always thought that it was because of her lifestyle. Her eyes had a combination of looking far-off and having to read maps and pamphlets. And her lifestyle called for the constant alertness that good hearing and sharp eyes provided.

But without her ghost core, she could final realize how inhuman those senses were. She felt her breathing increase. If enhanced senses, which were apparently the basics of ghostly abilities, were cut off, she probably couldn't even perform the scary eyes. Which, Danielle mused, would explain why her thigh wound actually hadn't healed itself. Skulker sent something in her system that had rendered her ghost core useless without disrupting her genetic makeup. She still didn't know how stable she actually was, and if Vlad meant to destabilize her, Skulker wouldn't have needed to capture her unless the sick frootloop wanted to do it himself.

Or he had other plans for her.

Neither were comforting thoughts. Danielle couldn't think of other plans Vlad could come up with. Despite having been with him for the first few months of her life, she just couldn't think of what his plans could pertain. All Danielle could assume of his plans was that it was linked to Danny. Then again, everything was. Every little thing Vlad Masters did went right back to Danny. Danielle was actual prof of that.

She glared down at her hands that were too warm. No matter what she said, no matter how much she fought against the truth, she couldn't escape the fact she was only a clone. And not even a perfect replica, but a mistake. Something that _should_ be done away with. She couldn't do anything correct. Her capture was proof enough. she was caught by Skulker! Skulker of all ghosts! It was almost as bad as being defeated by the Box Ghost!

Danny should have let her be melted.

Danielle curled in on herself, feeling tears starting to come to her eyes. She was worthless. Maybe Vlad would end it this time so she could escape these miserable thoughts. Even her friends would be better off. She was a horrible leader, nothing like Danny. He could actually lead, a natural born leader whether he admitted it or not. Danielle was not. She messed up too much. Caspar missing was her fault. She was supposed to be close to him. It was her orders to remain close to their assigned partner, but she didn't listen. She had flown up into the sky instead of being next to the redheaded archer. _She_ was the one who had let him end up in Apokolips; _she_ was the one who had let down a teammate; _she_ was the one who put her friend in danger.

Taking in a shaky breath of air, Danielle forced herself to her feet. She needed to pace, feel movement taking over her body. It was a habit she had gained from Nevidebla, but not to the extent her blonde friend did her pacing. When Danielle put weight on her injured leg, pain shot through her body. She just gritted her teeth together and started to slowly pace. Deep in her mind, a sick thought of her deserving the pain entered. Shaking her head, Danielle focused on walking and breathing, her hand roaming over the wall for any sign of weakness. It didn't matter if she thought she was worthless and should have been destroyed, she wasn't going to sit back and let things happen. It was a moral imperative that she not do that.

She was making her fifth lap around the depressingly small cage when the door—marked by thick bars—opened up to expose Vlad in his ghost form: white shirt, white pants, a white cape with red on the inside, black boots, a black belt, and black gloves. His skin was a pale blue and his ears pointed. Black hair was stylized like two horns with a grey streak in the middle of the valley the horns created. He even had a black goatee. And to finalize his look, pupil-less red eyes looked down on Danielle with smug contempt.

Danielle felt some part of her shrinking into her despite her body remaining still. She was still beneath his feet and despite what she told Danny, she still wanted Vlad's approval. It was ingrained in her mind, something Vlad more than likely put there, that drove Danielle to wanting to be perfect. Something in her strove to grain the approval of her creator. She knew she could be striving for Clockwork's or Danny's approval—which she _had_ —not Vlad's too high expectations, one being that she should be a _guy_. It hurt and made her stomach twist at how weak she was to still want this unattainable approval. And if Vlad ever found out she _still_ wanted his approval, he would use it to his advantage. Danielle kept this thought in her mind, but she knew it might as well be useless.

Nothing could stop this strange need for his approval.

"It's good to see you again, daughter," Vlad said with a sincere voice and gentle smile. Danielle kept herself still and just looking at Vlad with blank eyes. On the inside, Danielle was in inner turmoil. A part of her was preening at the words, but a bigger part was chanting that he was lying. Vlad _always_ lied when Danielle was in the equation. Today wasn't any different from the times before.

"It's horrendous to see you again, _Plasmius_ ," Danielle snapped, regaining her footing of hating him. And she should. She had every right to hate every fiber of his being.

"Is that anyway to treat your father?" Vlad asked nicely, but Danielle heard the hidden threat and narrowed her blue eyes at him.

"Go fuck yourself since Maddie won't," Danielle answered angrily. Once the words were out, Danielle knew they were a mistake. Vlad had always been touchy when Danny or Maddie were mentioned. She knew that from her very first moments of being alive. There was no reason to mention them unless it was a part of the plans to get Maddie to marry Vlad, Danny to be his perfect son, and Jack dead. Other than that, the names were taboo. Danielle knew that. She still had the scar from Vlad when she had been careless enough to talk about them outside of the scheming.

Her conclusion was correct as Vlad snarled and leapt forwards. Danielle flinched back, hoping to avoid an angry Vlad again, but it was hopeless. Even when she was halfa, she could never escape him when he was angry. But now being stuck in only her human form with no ghostly abilities available, Danielle didn't stand a chance.

Vlad wrapped a hand around Danielle's neck and shoved her painfully into one of the walls of her cell. Danielle's fingers clawed at his gloved hand to remove it and her working leg went up to push him away from her. But he merely turned parts of his body intangible from her kicking foot and he wasn't affected by Danielle's lame attempts at not having her windpipe crushed. He leaned in towards her, snarling like some feral animal and baring his teeth that looked suspiciously like a vampire's. Danielle felt herself paling as she just focused on getting enough air to her too human lungs. Her ghost half allowed her to survive longer without oxygen since ghosts didn't need oxygen to keep on existing. But now she was cut off from her ghost core and she was a human that did rely on oxygen to live.

"You listen, you ungrateful wrench, I gave you life. I created you and you will do as I say. You will not say such vulgar things about my darling Maddie, you will follow my orders to the letter. Understood?" Vlad snarled. Danielle gathered the spit in her mouth and spat it on Vlad's face. Definitely not the smartest move, but it got the point across. Danielle wasn't the same little girl three years ago. She found her own backbone, and so help her, if it killed her, she wasn't giving in.

She didn't need his approval.

And she was going to show herself that in this situation.

Vlad slammed her painfully into the wall and Danielle let out a small cry of pain as her head met the steel. She could feel him smirking as her vision swam.

"I'll tell you one thing: I'm the key for you to be a halfa again and to return you to pathetic friends. It's advisable you do as I tell you to," Vlad snarled.

"Go fuck yourself," Danielle gasped out, glaring at him, "because no woman would want to, you psychotic megalomaniac!"

Apparently, that was the last straw at the moment. Danielle was thrown into the opposite wall, falling to the ground in a painful, limp form. She gasped for air as she curled around herself. Her eyes pricked but she refused to cry as Vlad stormed out of the cell, not another word. Danielle always thought Danny had it a lot easier when he was facing Vlad. At least Vlad held back for her cousin while he wasn't afraid to use every force necessary against Danielle. Though now, he was holding back. Danielle didn't know if it was because she was simply human now or because he _did_ want her for something that she couldn't wrap her mind around at the moment. However, it probably had something to do with Danny.

When it came to Vlad, everything was about Danny.

Closing her eyes against her tears, Danielle stayed where she was, calming her breathing as she tried to overcome the pain. Maybe a small nap was in order. Didn't Nevidebla mention something about sleeping helping in the healing process? It didn't matter. Danielle was taking a nap.

* * *

 **December 9, 2016  
08:50 EST  
The Cells of Darkseid's Palace, Apokolips**

Caspar woke up to banging on his cell door. His leg and chest were still in pain. Sitting up, he looked down at his leg to see the bleeding had stopped but he was going to need proper medical attention. Placing a hand on his chest, Caspar pulled it away to see it was somewhat dry, meaning the bleeding had stopped somewhat. Caspar decided it was better than nothing. The door opened once Caspar had started to wipe his hand off on his pant leg to expose the dark green-haired Lashina. She glared down at him while Mad Harriet was behind her, grinning evilly at Caspar. A rush of fear froze him in place as he looked at them with wide green eyes.

"Desaad needs your assistance," Lashina spoke easily with the barest smirk on her lips. Caspar gulped as she slowly got to his feet, hand resting on the wall so he could support himself. Lashina scoffed and tossed a pair of crutches at him that must have been leaning against the wall next to the cell. Glaring down at the crutches, Caspar put them underneath his armpits and started to move. He hated crutches so much. It was bad enough when he had gotten his leg broken and Clockwork had refused to let him leave the Tower until it was healed. At least Danielle visited nearly every day when she could, even if it was just for a minute.

A pang resonated in his being at the thought of his friend. He missed them. It was his stupid impulsivity around tech that got him into this situation. All his fault and he was worried about how his friends were dealing. Michi wasn't someone who could become in touch with his emotions as easily as the rest. Danielle was known for blaming herself when anything happened to anyone on the team outside of herself. And Nevidebla was more than likely panicking, trying to find a way to get him off of Apokolips. He had felt her presence sometime during the night. There was no explaining how he felt it or how he was able to know her dream-self was staring down at him in his cell. All Caspar could submerse for this ability was the fact he was friends with these powerful people. Michi was an earthbender, Danielle a halfa, and Nevidebla a demigod. He was use to the different way their abilities made his skin prick or crawl, how it rushed over him or whispered past. It was his own sixth sense, his own ability that the others didn't have.

He was kind of proud of that.

Caspar barely paid attention to where Lashina and Mad Harriet were leading him until they stopped in front of a door. Lashina opened the door and Caspar could only gap at the room. It was a techie's and mechanic's dream rolled into one. All the tools, advanced computers, and things Caspar couldn't even name littered the area. But his thoughts grew dark as she saw Desaad with the weird face growth walking around one of the platforms that looked weird without being shoved into the ground. Lashina motioned for him to enter and Caspar hobbled over on his crutches, wondering how they knew to get him a pair of these.

"You need my assistance?" Caspar asked snippily as he stopped near Desaad. The scientist of Apokolips didn't seem perturbed that Caspar was by him, more than likely hearing his hobbling walk over.

"Get in and dismantle it," Desaad ordered.

"Can't at the moment. I'm kinda bleeding," Caspar said, waggling his useless leg around. Desaad turned his gaze on him and glared.

"You are at our mercy. I advise you do as I say," Desaad snapped.

"And I advise you suck a cock," Caspar answered with a shrug.

"Do you wish for your execution?" Desaad growled.

"Do I get to be beheaded? I always wanted some epic tale of me being beheaded," Caspar said with a cheeky grin. Desaad snarled and looked at him.

"I will make sure you are killed in the most agonizing way that you will beg for death within the first five minutes," Desaad snapped.

"Then get me some proper medical supplies so I can patch myself up and then I'll start," Caspar answered, glaring at the machine.

"You are in no position to make demands," Desaad snarled.

"I'm in every position to make demands," Caspar answered, though he knew he really wasn't. "You said it yourself, I'm useful for your plans to work. If the leading expert in destroying these platforms is killed without at least examining how difficult you can make these, anyone on Earth can. One of my friends was constantly by my side while I did this. She'd be able to dismantle these without any problem and show others in the process. It's actually good for you if you get me this stuff and I start working."

Desaad seemed to be stuck in a thought, eyes narrowed at Caspar before he sighed and snapped his fingers. Caspar balked as a small alien with a bald head made his way forwards to Desaad, quivering slightly.

"Get medical supplies," Desaad ordered. Caspar watched as the quivering bald alien ran off. The room descended into silence for ten minutes before the same alien came back. Caspar took the supplies and ignored the others as he opened the kit and sat down. He removed his shirt bandages from his leg and pulled out the rubbing alcohol bottle. _Why_ Apokoliptans had this, Caspar didn't know, but didn't really question it. Unscrewing the lid, Caspar steeled himself and poured a fourth of the bottle on his wound. His eyes widened and he hissed viciously as a current of stinging pain rushed up his leg. Caspar bit his lip and reached for the bottle of hydrogen peroxide next, pouring a fourth of that bottle onto his wound. He watched as it fizzled, anything that shouldn't be in his body bubbling out. Taking an alcoholic wipe, Caspar wiped the wound down and any fresh blood that he got from making his wound bleed. Then he moved on to rapping it with gauze and taping it in place. Caspar then turned and did the same procedure to his chest wound before getting back to his feet with the crutches.

"So just get in the thing and disable it?" Caspar asked and Desaad nodded curtly, silently fuming. "You got it, Poindexter."

Caspar walked around the machine before discarding his crutches and placing his hands on the machine. Finding the handholds he needed to get to the top, Caspar climbed his way up, having minor difficulties with a useless leg. Once he was at the top, Caspar crawled his way to one of the panes and pulled out a screwdriver from one of his pants' pockets. It was stupid of these people to allow him to keep his pants as full as they were. Anything of great importance like tools and miscellaneous bits of tech were in his pockets if they fit.

Caspar unscrewed the panel and slithered into the mass of machine and wires. Once inside, he found it more difficult to move with a useless leg, but he managed to get to the center engine of the thing. It hummed around him, not entirely activated but showing signs that it could easily become so. Caspar opened up a compartment and scrunched his brown in preparation. He didn't have his gloves to take the brunt if he did manage to electrocute himself for his daring way of destroying things. Caspar thrusted his hand into the machine, grabbed a fistful of wires, and pulled.

The humming become sporadic and some of the machines around Caspar turned off. Shrugging, Caspar went back to randomly ripping wires and motherboards from the center hub. He even started to break some to make it more difficult for Desaad. They never said he couldn't go about destroying the machine like he did on Earth. He could be as ruthless, more ruthless, or less ruthless to his heart's content at the moment. And Caspar rather liked ripping the wires out and feeling the motherboards crunch underneath his foot. To remove pumping tubing inside the machine and hear the humming slowly descend until it was no more. Then came the trickier part: getting to the second engine.

Caspar usually had Danielle with him. He never had to look for an entrance, but now was different. Gulping down his panic, Caspar ran his hands around the floor, hoping for some entrance, for some design flaw. If he didn't get in, Desaad would most likely wonder how he had the other times, and Caspar was not telling anyone of his friends' abilities. For all they knew, they were human with insanely good fighting skills with the perfect tech support on their side who could easily be substituted as an awesome archer/sniper.

Feeling a screw, Caspar pulled out his screwdriver again and began to unscrew it, hoping to find another one soon enough. As he kept moving around to find more screws, Caspar couldn't help but to think of how he would escape. He needed to, after all. December eleventh was approaching and the heroes didn't know what they were going up against. Only he and his friends did and that was thanks to Nevidebla's crappy dreams. But even then, Caspar didn't know everything. Nevidebla hadn't gone into details of the exact nature of the attack: no numbers, no list of monsters, no statics, and no descriptions on how each hero met their demise.

Now, Caspar did have information that was vital. He didn't know if Nevidebla had really connected anything entirely. there was that time before they left that she was listing off things. Like it was possible for Darkseid to be behind this and the energy signatures could be a combination of Zeta beams and boom tubes. Caspar stopped what he was doing and smashed his head against one of the metal panels of the inside of the machine. They had forgotten about those. It must have been the lack of sleep, but Caspar truly felt stupid now.

All the evidence was in front of him at this very moment to prove Nevidebla's theories correct. A boom tube would be perfect to establish the long-distance reach it provided with only a small device being the transportation, along with the fact it didn't announce when someone had arrived or left. Zeta beams were more precise because they required the work of platforms. With a combination of the two, one platform could call upon a specified point for anything animalistic or such to then be transported on where it was. And the energy signatures must run together perfectly to rip through the interdimensional barriers and the ectoplasmic-air-thing of the Ghost Zone. It would even have to be able to disrupt the flow of realm barriers if it was to just target one realm of Nevidebla's world.

Caspar's hands went back to finding screws to lift a panel.

He needed to get back to Earth immediately. It was imperative at this moment so he could dismantle all those platforms. But he couldn't just leave Apokolips. Darkseid would just come back and Caspar had a feeling he wasn't just meant to go on with these interdimensional platforms. But the only way Caspar could think of stopping him was to destroy all of Desaad's blueprints and maybe Desaad himself.

Would it stop Darkseid from still targeting the Earth? No.

Would it stop the development of platforms? Yes.

Did Caspar _want_ to do it? Not really.

He wasn't made to take a life. From the moment he was twelve and had a chance to take care of a soldier permanently, he couldn't do it. All he saw was another person desperately trying to keep their own family safe, despite not being in the slums like his own was. So it wasn't right to end him and Caspar backed down, running off while he had recovered. That incident was no different from the one he was in now. Sure, Desaad was worse, far worse actually, but he was still an intellectual, living being. It would be like taking a human life, something Caspar for sure couldn't do. So destroying Desaad was out permanently. Caspar wouldn't have the guts to do so, but that left him with the question on what to do next. If he couldn't kill Desaad, what could he do to keep him from recreating these platforms even if his blueprints were destroyed?

The thought that came up was laughable.

No way could Caspar create something to do such a thing. It was sci-fi ... but this was the DC universe. It was more than likely plausible to do such a thing, which left the question on how he would obtain the materials he needed. Caspar looked around the machine he was in and smirked. No, materials wouldn't be a problem, either. It would be the fact he needed to connect everything just perfectly that it did what it was meant to.

Caspar pulled out the last screw and lifted the panel before dropping in clumsily, keeping a barking curse down. Blinking through his tears of pain, Caspar moved around and started to tear the second engine apart, slipping small parts into his pants' pockets this time. Ones that seemed useful enough and would be easy to smuggle out. Along with the fact they weren't important to the platforms. Caspar would have to do that later, when it might not be missed. Or when Desaad realized Caspar would forever destroy the platforms. Before Caspar decided to climb back out, he went about destroying the second engine just as viciously as the first before sighing heavily. Getting out was going to be quite the feat.

Caspar moved slowly, standing up and gripping the opening he had left in the first engine before pulling himself up rather awkwardly, huffing and puffing as his chest groaned in pain. He had actually forgotten about that. Cursing himself out for actually forgetting an injury, Caspar made his way to the original hole and pulled himself out of that. Once he was out, Caspar took a break on top of the platform, gaining his breath back. Climbing out of something with a bleeding leg and chest was not fun. Sitting up, Caspar made his way to the edge and started to climb down. Once he was back on solid ground, he immediately picked up the crutches and sagged on them. This was the one time he was grateful for crutches and none of his friends better find out.

"Deactivated," Caspar boasted, smirking at Desaad who snarled and pushed a button. Nothing happened. "Told you."

"It just means I have not advanced the design properly. Your simple brain structure is still being able to see what I have created," Desaad answered. Caspar shrugged his shoulders, not bothering to tell the madman that mechanics and tech were about all he knew unless you included archery, something Caspar would answer was more instinctive than actual knowledge. "LASHINA!"

Caspar jumped at the scream as the woman walked in, glowering at Caspar who hunched his shoulders slightly.

"Take him back to his cell. He has given me enough to think about," Desaad ordered. The woman nodded stiffly before Caspar started to hobble over to her, cursing at Mad Harriet for injuring his leg. Despite the support they provided, crutches were not dignifying when one had to walk with them. The walk wasn't long, but it was cumbersome when Caspar finally realized how many _turns_ they took. Grumbling about the evilness of turns, Caspar was back in his cell in moments.

Tossing the crutches to the side, Caspar sat down on his cot, head in his hands as he tried to clear his mind. He needed to think of one thing at a time, come up with a plan, and get away. This was his test. Clockwork had said each would be tested sometime soon, but Caspar guessed the Master of Time had never meant like this. The redhead sighed, coming to the conclusion his test was about his own independence. He definitely needed some when in unknown situations. But the question was would he actually achieve some? Caspar doubted it. His mind was still thinking of potential allies which should be banished immediately. No one on Apokolips would want to side with the human being held prisoner by Darkseid. It was a death sentence.

Caspar would have kept questioning if he was able to start relying on his own decisions when his body became alive with the sense of someone watching him. It wasn't like with cameras pointed at him or strangers eyeing him weirdly. Caspar knew those feelings well enough that he could dismiss them readily. No, this was the sight of a friend who didn't want to be seen, or wasn't able to be seen. He had sensed it so many times, Caspar knew it was Nevidebla's dream-self floating somewhere in his cell, watching him.

"They're improving the platforms. I'm the test subject. They're improving the platforms. I'm the test subject," Caspar said over and over again, hoping Nevidebla would catch on. He never knew how many times he'd have to say something for her dream-self to hear it. He had never asked her such a question. Shutting his eyes, Caspar leaned back against his mattress, feeling tired and drained, but relieved that Nevidebla was able to check up on him.

And yet again, he wondered how they were doing. Probably going insane with worry and maybe fighting. That caused guilt to settle in Caspar's stomach. It was his fault, all his fault. He should start to learn to control himself around tech. This stupid impulsivity has caused problems before, and now it was a down right pain in the ass at the moment. Breathing in deeply, Caspar readied himself for some more sleep, but he had to say it one more time to Nevidebla whose presence was fading away softly.

"They're improving the platforms. I'm the test subject."


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note**

 **Finally got Chapter Thirteen done! It took longer because I've been in a funk from a book. For any of those who are Throne of Glass fans and have not read Empire of Storms, it completely and utterly breaks you. At the moment, I'm in complete and utter denial about the ending. So just a head's up, it breaks you and puts you in a funk for a really long time.**

* * *

 **THIRTEEN**

 **Preparing for Battle**

 **December 9, 2016  
08:27 EST  
The Training Room of the Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

Nightwing didn't know what was happening. All he heard was noise from outside of the training room while Superboy and Wonder Girl kept ramming into the door. Miss Martian had tried to density-shift through it minutes ago when they discovered it was blocked, but said something on the other side was keeping her from doing so. And whatever it was, it was strong enough to stand the force of the two strongest of their teammates at the moment. It was unnerving and it was taking everything in Nightwing not to join in, especially when a scream was heard. For a moment, he thought it was Nevidebla, but his brain told him it wasn't the same bloodcurdling scream. Nevidebla's was higher in pitch and he had only heard it when she spotted gryphons, not when she was being electrocuted. It was someone else of their group, and Nightwing bet it was Danielle by the scream still being high-pitched enough and a gut instinct that Michi probably wouldn't scream like this person was.

Then there was silence, nothing was heard. No shouting, no cursing, no screaming. Dead silence.

"Gar, help them," Nightwing ordered, looking towards the green boy. Gar nodded and shifted into a green elephant before ramming into the door. There was a shuddering noise and cracks appeared in the wall. Superboy and Wonder Girl rammed into the door again, another shuddering taking over the wall. A moment of silence descended upon the heroes until the door slowly fell in, Gar morphing back into his sapien-looking form. Everyone stopped for a moment before entering the room. The first thing to meet Nightwing's ears were the soft curses in what was very close to Greek and someone struggling.

Looking around, Nightwing felt his eyes widen beneath his mask. Nevidebla was stuck near their rock wall by some green substance that, when Nightwing looked towards the doorway, had some of the substance clamped onto the rock. HIs eyes trailed around the area, taking in blast marks and benches thrown across the room. Then there was Michi, in his own cocoon of green, struggling with all he was worth, grey eyes gleaming with a promise for blood. Nightwing walked over to him and crouched down.

"How do we remove this?" Nightwing asked.

"Just cut it off," Michi growled, shaking his shoulders with no use.

"Can't you just form some rock or something to do so?" Nightwing asked, pulling out one of the few knives he had and started to saw at the material.

"My fingers are locked in place. If I try to bend, I'll break six of them before I'm even halfway through of creating it," Michi answered honestly. "Nevi's probably in the same situation. Her fingers or wrists will break if she tries and goes or her knives, leaving her stuck and more useless than before."

"I heard that meathead!" Nevidebla screamed and Michi smirked sadly.

"Where's Danielle?" Nightwing asked, cutting down the length of Michi's body. He watched as Michi removed his hand slowly but with force. Nightwing shifted to the other side of Michi and started cutting.

"Taken," Michi huffed darkly, his hand clenching and a bench slowly began to morph into something unrecognizable.

"Michi, control yourself!" Nevidebla screamed, something in her voice sounding as if she was scared. The bench stopped its screeching from being bent and Michi sighed.

"Sorry, Nevi," Michi called back. "I'm just pissed."

"So am I and the next time I see Skulker, I'm removing him from his suit with my own bare hands and _squash_ the booger beneath my shoes," Nevidebla answered just as angrily.

"At least let me have a got at him," Michi laughed.

"You get him after I squash him. It's best if he's not struggling when you get him," Nevidebla answered and Michi laughed again. Nightwing felt like shuddering, but he remained as stoic as ever as he finally cut Michi free. The brunet started to peel the goop off of his front, sitting up. Nightwing moved to peel the rest off of Michi's back. When the masked vigilante looked over, he saw Batgirl helping Nevidebla down, the blonde looking angered and worried.

Once Michi was free, they made their way over to the group and Nightwing watched as Michi threw an arm around Nevidebla. There was something about their hard faces and slouched shoulders that reminded Nightwing of the days after the Reach invasion and Wally dying. They were trying to be strong at the moment, but failing.

"What now?" Nevidebla whispered, fiddling with her shirt, looking around with sharp hazel eyes as if she was expecting another attack.

"What were you three planning before with those weapons?" Nightwing asked instead, prompting them to tell them what was going on. Nevidebla's eyes skirted over to Michi who took a deep breath.

"Nevi here has dreams that tell a possibility of the future or what is going on somewhere else that's important," Michi said, removing his arm from Nevidebla and shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I had a dream where you and the Justice League all died in Manhattan because the people behind this shut off the ones across the country and activated all of the ones in Manhattan. It was a slaughterhouse," Nevidebla picked up. Nightwing stared at her, face becoming impassive while a maelstrom unleashed itself in his stomach. They were going to die apparently. "There _is_ a way to change it. Several, actually. Out team wasn't with you guys. Not a single one. We might not have Dani or Caspar, but Michi and I can still help. The second is that you guys didn't have proper weapons. Sure, Wonder Girl and Wonder Woman can punch them into dust if they hit the right spot, but that won't cut it. It's why those weapons are important. My dad delivered them from Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. The weapons are made of Celestial bronze or Imperial gold, both metals being able to kill monsters. And the fact that the combination of Hecate and Hephaestus-slash-Vulcan kids can make weapons purposefully suited to all of you perfectly: like Beast Boy and the grills we received for him."

Nightwing narrowed his eyes at the two, glaring.

"When were you going to mention this?" Nightwing asked sharply.

"Dani would have told you. _She's_ our leader and she probably wanted to tell you right off the bat, but things were coming up first," Michi answered easily, calmly, but Nightwing could hear the vibrating tone of slight anger at the accusation. "We needed your trust, we needed the weapons Nevi had ordered, and _especially_ needed the opportunity to tell you. Things kept popping up until recently that timing was good with everything else already accomplished."

Nightwing nodded in understanding, rubbing his face while the others shifted around.

"What happened to Dani?" La'gaan asked. Nightwing looked over at the Atlantean, wondering where he was going with this. "Did she just leave you two to fight?"

Nightwing watched as Nevidebla lunged for La'gaan, bronze knife out even though it might not hurt him. For a moment, Nightwing thought he'd have to step in between the two, but Michi grabbed onto the collar of Nevidebla's shirt and restrained her. But the look on Michi's face said it all. He was prepared to let Nevidebla go and let her loose upon La'gaan if he didn't watch his mouth.

"Stand down, La'gaan," Nightwing ordered. The Atlantean huffed but obeyed as Nightwing watched the two. "What did happen to Dani?"

"She was taken by Skulker, probably to be skinned for her pelt and her head hung on his wall," Nevidebla snarled, glaring at La'gaan as she stopped struggling, Michi still keeping a hand on her shirt.

"Skulker said client," Michi pointed out and Nevidebla began to curse sharply underneath her breath in a language Nightwing couldn't pinpoint.

"Client?" Nightwing asked and Michi just shook his head, indicating they weren't saying anything on the matter. "Fine, but do you know anything about Caspar?"

Nightwing felt his chest contract at the mention of the redhead. It was bad enough he had reminded him of Wally to an extent, but to have him simply just disappear was horrible. All they knew was that he was off-world, in a different system more than millions of light-years away at best.

"He's on Apokolips," Nevidebla answered with a shrug, looking down on the floor, shifting her feet. "Captured by Darkseid and who knows what's happening to him now."

"How do you know that?" Batgirl asked.

"The dreams," Nevidebla answered, tapping the side of her head. "Had one last night. He was in bad shape and I wouldn't have gotten any clue of where he was if he hadn't kept saying he was on Apokolips."

"He knew you were there?" Nightwing asked, wanting to know how far Nevidebla's abilities extended. He had seen her warp in a doorway and assumed it was some form of teleportation. Apparently she had powers like Michi and Danielle but they weren't as obvious or could be used as directly in a fight.

"Yes," Nevidebla answered, scrunching her face up, "but most don't know I'm actually there. Caspar's the first and only person I've met who can sense when I'm there in my dream form. Even Dani and Michi can't sense me."

Nightwing rubbed his face. There was so much to do and so little time.

"What day is this attack?" Nightwing asked.

"December eleventh," Michi answered.

"Not enough time," Nightwing whispered.

"You don't need to be perfect, just good enough to survive in a battle-zone against monsters," Nevidebla said, grinning sheepishly. Nightwing looked at her attire, examining the leather armor she still wore on her forearms and torso. They fit her snugly, old and new gashes peppering the brown hide, and straps fraying slightly at the ends. It showed how comfortable she had gotten wearing them, putting them on with an ease that they molded to her body faster. Even with so many gashes, even though they ranged from shallow to deep, she still trusted it enough to keep on wearing it.

Or it was the only armor she had.

"Do you know the monsters who will be there?" Nightwing asked.

"Scythian Dracanae, hellhounds, Empousai, the Minotaur, Medusa, and gryphons," Nevidebla stated in a monotone.

"How do we die?" Nightwing asked. He expected Nevidebla to go into a rant about it all like she did in the interrogation room, but she was silent. The vigilante watched as her face become emotionless and her mouth pressed into a thin line. Nightwing focused his attention on Michi who only shrugged. "If you don't tell us, how are we to prevent it?"

"Don't look Medusa in the eyes; have the women superheroes fight the Empousai; those who can fly should focus on the gryphons; stronger heroes should handle the Minotaur; with hellhounds and Scythian Dracanae ... anyone not fitting in the categories for Empousai, gryphons, and the Minotaur should remain in groups when facing them. Remain on alert and when one runs out of monsters, try to quickly find someone or even a group who could use help and immediately engage," Nevidebla answered tightly, arms moving to cross in front of her chest and her fingers gripped her upper arms painfully, Nightwing watching as her knuckles turned white and her nails dug into her skin. "This is a battle. Strategies go array to the point you need so many that by the time you can formulate which plan to go with, it's already chaos. All you can do is prepare and pray for the best. Dwelling on how each one will die will hinder their performance because they'll try to make sure they don't end up in that situation and then BOOM! They walk into a different death trap trying to prevent the first."

Nightwing hated the logic behind the blonde's words. He knew how bad plans and missions can go. But he heard how much experience had resonated in her words. She knew battle. Nightwing had to remember how everything pointed towards the young girl knowing war and possibly getting over the effects of PTSD.

"Let's get started," Nightwing said.

He watched the remaining two strangers nod grimly.

Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

It had been long and tedious and exhausting.

They had started out with strategy.

Nevidebla knew her monsters and she knew Manhattan. Nightwing watched as she explained they should try to accomplish evacuation and if that failed, an emergency house arrest for all citizens. Then she moved on to how to conduct the bridges and tunnels leading to and away from Manhattan. Tunnels should be blockaded and bridges open as long as possible to get residents out before they, too, were unable to be used.

Then came who should fight what. Superman, Martian Manhunter, Miss Martian, Hawkwoman, Hawkman, and the Green Lanterns would be facing the gryphons. Superboy, Atom, Wonder Woman, and Wonder Girl would be best off against the Minotaur. Batgirl, Tigress, Rocket, Zatanna, Bumblebee, and Black Canary would battle against the Empousai. Those who would fight against the Scythian Dracanae and the hellhounds were everyone else and could easily drift between other groups if they could and it was needed. The one thing Nightwing didn't like was that Nevidebla had said she would be drifting constantly throughout the fight and Michi would join her after he dealt with Medusa _alone_. He didn't understand how Michi could accomplish such a thing. He had seen something that might help Michi out back in New Orleans, but that had taken focus and a little time. That was something Michi couldn't afford in a fight.

Both had tried—and failed—to reassure him that Michi would be fine.

Then there were the weapons.

They had quickly split up what were the Justice League's and what were the Team's.

Nightwing had watched as each received their own assortment of weapons.

Tigress received three quivers of arrows, Bumblebee and Blue received some regulators and purifiers for their armor, Beast Boy received the grills Nevidebla had mentioned earlier, and Kid Flash and Superboy received some bronze knuckles spiked at the ends in deadly points. Robin had received a new staff that could, with a simple twist of the wrist, become a spear. Batgirl, Miss Martian, Zatanna, and Static Shock received knives. Lagoon Boy, Wonder Girl, and Guardian received swords. Finally, Nightwing himself had obtained escrima sticks that with their own way extended spearheads at the end.

Nightwing had wanted to ask how someone could create these in such short notice and how Nevidebla was even able to get these from her dimension. But he didn't, just accepted the weapons handed to him. There was something about the situation that had his body telling him it was okay to trust them, at least in these aspects. But his mind was still firmly on mistrust.

Training had been excruciating, even for Nightwing to a certain extent.

Nevidebla was relentless in weapons training. She never let up on anyone and turned into a formidable drill sergeant at a moment's notice. Nightwing remembered how easily she could disarm many of the Team, even if they were trained by Batman. She was quick and clever, a born fighter with or without weapons. Michi, on the other hand, was his own form of terrible. He didn't help in the fighting directly, but wasn't afraid to make the ground of the training room quake or call for a long session of condition on stances, breathing techniques, and learning to regulate one's stamina. It was the worst part and Nightwing had cringed at most of the Team's performances. Even Robin, who Nevidebla had declared was down with no exceptions, did better than many.

Now, Nightwing sat on the couch, resting his body with the rest of the Team. He was almost envious of how Nevidebla still seemed to have energy and Michi wasn't breathing heavily. But it vanished when Michi removed his leg and grimaced as he massaged the area and Nevidebla rubbed her arms with her nose crinkling.

"Damn, my arms hurt," Nevidebla whispered and Michi snorted.

"My everything hurts," Bart complained and Nightwing smirked at that.

"Hmph, ever had your butt hurt?" Nevidebla asked, smirking. Everyone turned to her as she lifted one of her legs and placed it behind her head with ease.

"Not really," Bart said, sounding confused.

"Then I didn't push you pansies hard enough," Nevidebla sighed dramatically.

"No, you did!" Bart exclaimed, leaping to his feet and waving his arms around frantically. "No more. Please."

"There's more tomorrow," Nightwing pointed out with a smirk as Bart groaned dramatically, dropping to his knees with a solid thud.

"I need to head home, but I don't want to leave," Cassie moaned from her spot in the chair.

"Should we tell them we were going soft on them today?" Michi stage-whispered to a smirking Nevidebla who had switched which leg was behind her head.

"I think they'll figure it out tomorrow," Nevidebla chuckled. "You guys should rest, though. And don't forget to stretch. Lactate acid is a bitch."

"Evil," Michi grumbled and Nightwing smirked.

The rest of the Team followed the advice on rest. Each helped the others out and headed to the Zeta beams or headed to their rooms in the Cave. Nightwing shuffled over to a chair instead as Michi and Nevidebla took over the couch. Hours ticked by into the night and Nightwing could only watch these strangers sleep. Even with so much space on the couch, Nevidebla had decided to sleep on the back and Michi stationed exactly in the middle in a sitting position. The empty spaces on either side were so prominent Nightwing was forced to think about the missing members: Danielle and Caspar.

Nightwing hadn't even gotten a gull understanding of Caspar before he disappeared. He knew he was an above average fighter, an archer, and a techie. Nightwing got a sense he was in some way snarky and not afraid to tease his friends. A smart kid. Someone who distrusted authority figures. But Nightwing knew those were the bare bones, the images Caspar's comrades had painted up since his disappearance. Nevidebla had made it clear when the number of monsters became manageable, that those who understood technology to a fine point should enter the machines and shut them down. But he knew it wouldn't be fast enough without the redhead who had somehow managed to memorize the layout of those machines perfectly. Nightwing had been paying enough attention in New Orleans to see how efficiently he and Danielle had gone through one machine before they were back out and helping in the fight.

Then there was Danielle. If Nightwing was honest with himself, he'd have never assumed she was the leader. She might have held herself with confidence and wasn't afraid to be the first to speak, but she was yeas to overlook: simple features, average height, and unrecognizable clothes. Michi had seemed to be more leader-like with his tall height and empowering presence despite being nothing but a gangly teenager. Even Nevidebla was more noticeable with her constant movement, glittering eyes, and a sense of being that was exuberating from her.

But Danielle was a storm and a calm. Nightwing had seen how viciously she could fight but how easygoing she could be the next moment. She knew how to lead her friends and take charge, not even backing down from Nightwing and during an interrogation. Now that Nightwing was reevaluating, the only person he could assume he would have broken was Caspar, but he hadn't interrogated Caspar. But there was something about Danielle that was unrelenting and strong. Stronger than Caspar's mind, stronger than Nevidebla's wit and facts, and certainly stronger than Michi's resilience.

She was just a leader in a sense that couldn't be described in words.

And she was gone, too. Taken by someone unknown. Nightwing only knew the name was Skulker and he was working for someone. _Someone_ that Michi and Nevidebla didn't want Nightwing and the rest of the Team knowing about. Either they knew he'd get off track of the real dilemma or they knew this was a struggle in a completely different dimension that had just momentarily breached into Nightwing's.

Nightwing stood up with a suppressed groan and made his way to his room in the new Cave. He could think about this later. He was sore—though he'd never admit it out loud—and reeling so much he was tired. Nightwing walked into his room and didn't bother for usual nighttime rituals. He simply collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**FOURTEEN**

 **The Day Before ...**

 **December 10, 2016  
Time Unknown  
Dreamscape**

 _Nevidebla floated before Caspar. Her redheaded friend was leaning back into a mattress, seeming to relax almost as soon as she appeared. Her fingers itched to hug her friend, to hold her brother tihgtly and beg him not to be stupid enough to mess with a Father Box again. Gliding down a little bit, Nevidebla approached her friend for a closer inspection. Caspar had gotten his chest wound wrapped, finally, and his leg wound was properly wrapped in gauze instead of a part of his shirt. Nevidebla's fingers itched again to check on his wounds, but she knew Caspar understood first aid. There was no need for her to try and inspect them, but she could never turn off her protective instincts when it came to wounds._

 _"They're improving the platforms. I'm the test subject," Caspar spoke, startling Nevidebla's dream form to jump a few feet higher in the air. She stared down at him as his emerald eyes grew wide and desperate, almost focusing on her as if Caspar knew where she was and could practically see her. "They're improving the platforms. I'm the test subject."_

 _Nevidebla felt her stomach churn at the words. She finally noticed the sweat stains on Caspar and the little bits of oil and grim covering his face and hair. He was too still, even now. When they were taking apart those platforms, he was still moving, still creating, still thinking, and overall, still being his slightly hyper, imaginative self. And his gloves were missing. Nevidebla knew he usually had those gloves on, even before they were weapons of electrical destruction. This scene was unnerving. It was almost as if she was watching her friend deteriorate before her eyes._

 _And then there was his chanting: "They're improving the platforms. I'm the test subject."_

 _He repeated those two sentences over and over again so they resonated in Nevidebla's brain. They pounded away at her skull and she gripped her head, shutting her eyes. But Caspar's desperate voice still found a way in and to ricochet in her head faster and louder than the previous one._

 _She could see the desperation and fear on his face. Nevidebla could practically_ smell _it on him despite this only being a dream and he was across space of his dimension. He wanted her to know this information, was going almost mental to make sure she did receive it. Nevidebla felt phantom tears prick her eyes at the sight of her frantic friend, feeling something in her gut tugging and twisting. The scene before her began to fade quickly. The last thing she saw was Caspar drifting off to sleep. The last thing she heard was:_

 _"They're improving the platforms. I'm the test subject."_

* * *

 _Nevidebla reformed in a small, dark cell. She could easily stretch her arms out and they'd meet either wall comfortably. There was an area of the metal wall where there was a small window with bars over it. A door. Nevidebla approached one of the walls and saw some of that anti-intangibility goop Danielle was talking about glowing softly but providing no proper light to examine the area fully. Moving along the walls in her dream form, Nevidebla stopped when the ghostly light of her body casted over the sleeping form of Danielle._

 _Dropping to her knees, Nevidebla crawled over, her hands and knees not touching the floor but ghosting over them. Once most of her sickly blue light casted over her friend, Nevidebla saw her condition. Danielle still had the wound in her leg, the area wrapped tightly in a bandage. Her fingers froze this time. Danielle barely needed medical attention unless it was serious. A knew wound to the leg, sadly, wasn't serious enough. Usually she healed fast enough infection couldn't set in and the skin was pulling itself back together._

 _For her wound to be wrapped ... Nevidebla feared the worst. Either Danielle had been separated from her ghost half or it was suppressed. A suppressed ghost half allowed for the possibility of reawakening it. But a_ separated _ghost half ... Danielle would remain human until they located it and_ both _sides wanted to be reunited again. And what Danielle had said about when it had happened to Danny with a mishap from one of his parents' inventions, it was rarely the case._

 _Nevidebla moved her sight from Danielle's leg and drifted over her face. It was troubled and Nevidebla could see a trickle of blood staining the back of her neck. It was crusting now, most of it dry and possibly the wound was also scabbing over now. The one thing Nevidebla knew, though, was that Vlad was keeping Danielle alive for some reason._

 _It was good and bad._

 _Good because her friend had a possibility of escaping. Danielle was smart and didn't need her ghostly half to get herself out of situations. It had been proven time and time again in toher dimensions when Clockwork had banned the use of their inhuman abilities_ — _except for Michi who did need to use bending to some extent for his leg, but_ only _his leg. So Danielle could find a way out of this cell and make it back in time._

 _But it was bad in the sense Vlad was keeping her alive with barely any injuries. He wanted to manipulate her for something. Nevidebla knew enough ruses and signs that Vlad, if given time, would slowly tear Danielle apart until she was the same naive, twelve-year-old girl she was three years ago._

 _Angered, and not wanting to see her leader in such a prone form, Nevidebla got to her feet and walked to the door of the cell. Maybe if she could walk out, she could see where her friend was and her and her friends could come and get her when the mission in the D.C. universe was over with._

 _But Nevidebla was stopped by that familiar tug. She wasn't even reaching for the door when the cell started to fade. She only saw the door to the cell beginning to open before the image was gone._

* * *

 **December 10, 2016  
04:23 EST  
Living Room of Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

Nevidebla woke up with a gasp, shooting upwards into a sitting position. She felt the cushions beneath her shifting and she was falling onto the couch, her knees connecting with the back of Michi's head. Her friend jolted awake, getting into ready position to start earth-bending.

"Sorry, Michi," Nevidebla groaned, moving to sit against the arm rest and allowing Michi to settle into his spot again.

"what was it about?" Michi asked. Nevidebla sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. She understood the implications, but to tell Michi that ... could she really do it? At the moment, he was the reason she wasn't spiraling into depression. She had gotten out before with their help and there was no way she wanted to go back. But she _knew_ that if Michi broke, she'd go down ahrder and farther into that pit. However, she couldn't keep this from Michi. That wasn't fair.

"Caspar was saying that they're improving the platforms and he's the test subject," Nevidebla answered. Michi let a long, tiring sigh.

"That's ... I don't know what that is," Michi answered honestly, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair.

"It's good because Caspar's smart enough to figure it all out _or_ just making the whole thing explode," Nevidebla murmured thoughtfully. "But it's bad because he could easily irritate them with how easily he keeps taking them apart or blowing them up. They could easily harm him more than they have."

Michi groaned, throwing his head back and staring at the ceiling. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, Dani's in a cell," Nevidebla said, feeling her heart and lungs squeezing at what she has to get out next. "Her leg's sitll injured."

Michi sat up like he was struck by lightning.

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me. She's still injured and somehow gained a head injury between when she was captured and I was able to see her."

"Do you think he ... might have?"

"It's a fifty-fifty that Vlad removed it."

"What's the other half?"

"That he suppressed it insanely well."

"No way to find out?"

"Dani was asleep and she can't sense my presence unlike Caspar. Even if she was awake, she couldn't inform me."

"Anything else?"

"I think Vlad might have been entering the cell. All I saw was the door opening before I woke up."

"Shit."

"Yeah, shit," Nevidebla agreed with a heavy sigh, looking around the room. "How are we even going to stand a chance?"

Michi didn't answer. He knew they were in as much of a hole as she did. Without Caspar, there wasn't anyone who was fast enough to take out the platforms and not have to be there to fight off the monsters. Without Danielle, they was less air support and super strength on their side. Nevidebla and Michi were down two people and, sure, they've worked together numerous times before, but they always knew Danielle and Caspar were together. Now, the two were in different places: Caspar on a different planet and Danielle in a different dimension.

Nevidebla rubbed her face harsly, hoping for the anxiety to disappear. They would be fine. Caspar was smart, and despite what he said, he could be independent enough to find his own way back. Danielle was resourceful. She would find some little flaw and exploit it and be back here in no time. Or at least at Clockwork's Tower when the mission was over and done with.

"We should get some more sleep," Michi whispered, interrupting Nevidebla's thoughts.

"I can't," Nevidebla replied honestly.

"Yeah," Michi agreed with a chuckle.

"Do you think you can handle Medusa?" Nevidebla asked. She had given Michi the sole purpose of killing Medusa for the simple reason of his seismic sense. And she knew he could handle her. But there was still a part of her that worried. She couldn't lose him. Not in the sense of _dying_.

"Yeah," Michi said with a nod. "I just can't wear my shoes, though."

"I don't care if you don't show up without your shoes. We just need Medusa out of the way with. She can kill those heroes faster and I was surprised she only took out two before she died in my dream."

"Who were they?"

"The Flash and Kid Flash."

"I can see how that properly turned the tides in the monsters' favor."

"The only speedsters down? Yeah, it can, and it will. Flash and Kid Flash can speed around these monsters and choke them out if need be, but if both are down, you have to go back to typical fighting. It was another reason I wanted those weapons. Without the speedsters, most of the fighting was put on Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl, and as much as I am for girl power, they needed those speedsters immensly, or at least proper weapons for everyone."

"So the people we _must_ keep alive at all costs are the speedsters and the Wonder heroes?"

Nevidebla smirked at Michi's wording. These were moments she lived for: her friends being so confused over a dimension and she was the only one who understood it. Conversations were always interesting when that happened.

"Yes."

"I don't think the Wonders will be happy about that."

"Oh, definitely not. Nor will the speedsters to an extent."

"So keep an eye on them and if we must, intervene?"

"That's all we can do."

"I hate this," Michi said vehemently, waving his arms around. "This mission has gone to shit faster than one of Caspar's bombs detonating. When did it go wrong?"

"Gotham," Nevidebla answered, remembering that night, or morning depending on how one looked at it. They were doing their routine and then that one platform had a bomb in it. Nevidebla knew that was when things changed. That one bomb lead to them needing to steal from WayneTech which led to Technus, then to Nightwing, then those gryphons, and so on and so forth. That was when everything came crumbling down around them. When Caspar got himself sent to Apokolips and Danielle was captured by Skulker. Though, the Skulker incident probably still would have happened but could have been prevented if Caspar was _there_.

"Oh, yeah," Michi whispered soberly. "Gotham."

They descended into silence, remembering those nights before Gotham. How their days had been travel, their nights dismantling and fighting, and their early mornings sleeping if they managed that. It had been a great system and Nevidebla had loved it, despite her arms getting so sore and overused they would shake. She would even accept her nightmares if it meant they could go back to those few days.

"You never explained who the Joker was," Michi stated, interrupting the silence. Nevidebla giggled at the whole thing. This was something she was fine with. A simple conversation with her friend. She just needed one before the day truly started. So why not at half-past four in the morning? It was better than nothing.

"First off, he's a villain of Batman," Nevidebla began into the tale.

She flet a little at home now.

* * *

 **December 10, 2016  
04:24 EST  
The Dungeons of Darkseid's Palace, Apokolips**

Caspar woke to the banging on his cell door. Groaning, not knowing what time it was, he rolled over. It felt like he had just gotten to sleep. At least he knew Nevidebla had gotten his message. The bigger question was on whether she could implement it in anyway. Rubbing a hand down his face, Caspar got up and had his crutches underneath him when the door opened. Lashina stood in the doorway, a sneer on her face, and a tray in her hands. Caspar stared at the tray hungrily as Lashina entered and placed the tray none-too gently on the floor a little ways away from the cot.

"Desaad says you have earned the right for one meal for being so enlightening for him. It's not poisoned. We still need you," Lashina stated, walking out of the cell and locking it again. Caspar barely registered her words. All he knew was as long as he kpet things enlightening for Desaad, he got food. These were deals any proper street rat knew, but also dwelled on the consequences. Caspar never really had to. He ahd always made it clear he did as he pleased, skipped from group to group and no one could stop him. He even disappeared on random for these missions now and no one really cared. They only cared when Caspar was in their group because he could get them technology on par with the government's at less than half the cost. And the design would only be for that group. No one else would have it.

Here, the consequences would be no food. He would ahve to keep tearing those machines apart with mild damages. Until Caspar grew desperate, he couldn't blatantly destroy it. Coming to these conclusions, Caspar ate the food and drank the water greedily. It wasn't long enough when Lashina came back, looking grim and irritated.

"Come," she ordered. Caspar kept his sigh in as he got up on his crutches and followed after her, Mad Harriet taking up the rear. Caspar wondered if he would see those other two women anytime. Or maybe the only reason he was dealing with these two Female Furies was out of vendetta. Out of the four of them, Caspar had embarrassed them the most considering the display he pulled in front of Darkseid.

Keeping his thoughts to himself, Caspar walked into Desaad's workshop. Steeling himself for whatever Desaad had ready for him, Caspar barely heard the door closing behind him.

"Destroy it," Desaad ordered. Caspar looked at him.

"You do realize a human has to change bandages periodically to keep it from being infected and killing them?" Caspar asked.

"You will receive supplies in your cell if you destroy it," Desaad answered, smirking. Caspar gritted his teeth but hobbled over to the machine again. It was different. The build was sleeker and would barely fit two people in it despite how scrawny and slim they were. Caspar dropped his crutches near the machine and began to climb. It was still steep, as tall as the one before, but with little handholds. Caspar wanted to make some snide comment on the fact this was in the ground. How was he supposed to destroy the thing if Desaad didn't give him handholds? Expelling the thoughts, Caspar got to the top and began to remove a panel.

It was the same as yesterday. Caspar slipped in, landing hard on his injured leg while keeping a colorful curse down, and started to destroy the mechanism, making sure he removed the more important pieces. But his hands slipped materials he would need for what he had planned into his pockets. He had emptied them last night, shoving whatever was in them and not a tool into his mattress. Now, his pockets were empty and ready to be filled with new parts. Caspar worked methodically: wires pulled out, motherboards snapped in half, hardware smashed by a hammer, and all-around destruction. Capsar made sure he left the more volatile things alone. He would have loved to destroy them like any demolition person, but he knew the dangers they proposed on him.

Caspar opened up the bottom panel to the second engines beneath, shoving the screws of the panel into his pockets. It was obvious Desaad wasn't stopping that. But this was different from the one above. Everything was different, from the set up to the wiring. Caspar gritted his teeth and started to snoop around, finding wires to remove and motherboards that held important data. It was slower this time, having to find different ways of destroying it, especially with pumps hanging from the ceiling like coiling snakes. But he was done in time and pullign himself out of the bottom engine then from the top, chest and leg screaming in pain.

It was like yesterday. He got to the area Desaad was and watched as he pressed some buttons and the machine ddin't work. He was taken away by Lashina and Mad Harriet. Day Two of Captivity and Caspar was already bored with the mundane routine. By the time he got to his room, he finally found something different: a first-aid kit. Sighing in relief, Caspar sat down on his mattress and began to tend to his wounds.

As he did this, he did an inventor check on what he gathered. Wires were a main thing, there were two spare motherboards, one of the volatile energy sources, and many bits of metal, screws, and a few nails. It seemed pathetic, but compared to the things Caspar had stored in his mattress, he might just complete what he needed to. But it wouldn't be in time. Caspar knew it wouldn't. He would have to start to learn the path to the cells from Desaad's office and note the area where his items would be. Then there was the matter of acquiring a Father Box. It was the only way off of the planet, and even Caspar didn't know what it did, it was better than nothing.

Finishing the bandaging of his chest, Caspar immediately switched to the machine. He didn't have a moment to lose. Every second would count from now till he escaped.

Maybe, if he pushed himself enough within reason, he could make it back on December elevent, even if it was at night.

* * *

 **December 10, 2016  
04:25 EST  
Location Unknown**

Danielle was jolted awake at the noise of the cell door being opened. Sitting up, she looked over to see Vlad standing in the doorway, looking battered and worn, but still smug. Always smug. She stayed seated, looking at the man cautiously. He was in his human form today: pale skin, long grey hair pulled back into a ponytail, dark blue eyes, and a grey goatee. He wore a crisp, black suit tailored for his body and impeccable, accompanied with a red tie.

"How are you today, my dear?" Vlad asked.

Danielle didn't give him a response, just glowered at him. It had no effect on him, like always. His grin just became smugger as he looked at her.

"It doesn't really matter. Everything is falling into place now," Vlad said conversationally, that twinkle in his eyes that Danielle knew was his scheming gleam. He was close and he believed he would succeed when Danny was, or walked away with more knowledge than before.

"What?" Danielle whispered, her voice hoarse.

"Did I not tell you?" Vlad asked, looking innocently ashamed. Danielle glared at him, remembering the grip around her neck and the hopelessness of her situation. "Daniel is close to acquiring something quite powerful. Now, that just won't do, will it? No, obviously not."

Danielle narrowed her eyes at Vlad, trying to figure out what could be this powerful thing Danny was close to obtaining. Nothing was coming to mind. He was powerful enough, and if he was as ruthless as Vlad, he could take over the entire Ghost Zone with little effort.

"However, there is a silver-lining," Vlad said, a smirk flickering on his face as he looked at Danielle, still standing in the open doorway. Maybe she could shove him aside and escape. No, he would be expecting that. "Daniel can transfer it to someone else before the announcement by the Observant Council to bestow it upon him. With you as my captive, cut off from your own ghost core, Daniel will have no choice but to pass it on to me to rescue you and restore you to your halfa status."

"He wouldn't do that," Danielle said, but her voice lacked the surety of that statement because she knew Danny would. He had given up enough for her and done enough. She knew he didn't need to do anymore for her. But Danny wasn't like that. He'd keep doing so much for Danielle because he wanted to and felt he needed to for some inexplicable reason.

"On the contrary, my dear, he would," Vlad said. "I am waiting for the Observants to come and congratulate on me becoming King of the Ghost Zone."

Danielle froze in shock. Danny was supposed to become King? Sure, he was eighteen, the most powerful ghost, and smart despite what his grades said, but he was humble and didn't want more power. He was generous, merciful, forgiving, and willing to give second chances. Danielle had been a second chance and when Danny had given her that option, she had taken it. He would make a wonderful King, in Danielle's opinion. But _Vlad?_ No, that would be worst. It wouldn't be a kingship kind of thing, but a dictatorship. She needed to escape. _NOW_.

Danielle shot to her feet, ready to charge at him before the pain in her leg flared. She found herself leaning against the wall, breathing deeply at the sudden pain. It wasn't like this yesterday. Why was it flaring now?

"I see you have discovered a parting gift I left you," Vlad chuckled darkly. Danielle glared at him even more angrily. She wished ehr eyes could flash ecto-green instead of remaing blue. "As long as you mean me harm in anyway, your wound will flare until I give you the antidote so you can reconnect to your ghost core."

Danielle gave him her most scathing glare while in such pain. It had no effect upon Vlad Masters who turned on his heel and left, the door shutting and locking behind him.

Yet again, the hopelessness of her situation descended upon Danielle. But this time, she knew the stakes. If she didn't get out soon, Vlad would become King. Forget her earlier mission about worlds colliding, she needed to fix her own. If Vlad rose to power, he would learn more about the rift in the Ghost Zone, and would deem it reasonable to take over the world it lead to and finding a way to get to the second world: Nevidebla's world. That wouldn't do. Her world and her best friend's world were at stake.

But what could she do? She had always had her ghost core within easy reach. Even in situations where she had to act human, she had never been so afraid, because she had known if worse came to worse, she could tap into that well of power. Now, though, she was truly cut off and she could feel the dullness of being purely human. She wouldn't be strong enough to bash in the door nor confident enough once she did escape, she could take on Vlad. Moments like these were when she wanted Nevidebla by her side at the most. She was clever and a good lock pick.

No, she was a leader, and she wasn't giving in. Just because she had friends she could rely on didn't mean she wasn't capable in her own right. But then what? How would she escape the cell? There wasn't any lock on this side, just the hinges. Maybe if she had a screwdriver or even a knife she could escape. Wait ... Nevidebla had given her knives.

Danielle patted herself down, hoping to find a handle or a sharp edge. She froze when she felt them. Of course she had used her intangibility to stick them between the layers of her hoodie, perfectly capable of remaining to run down her spine as if to protect it with the metal of the blades. But she needed those knives now.

Shrugging off her hoodie, Danielle flipped it inside out and carefully felt for the hilt of th eknife towards the bottom of the hoodie. She could feel the knifepoint was pointing towards the seam at the end of the hoodie. Smirking, Danielle slowly manipulated the blade to cut a hold big enough to slip the knife out and the other two. It was slow and tedious, something that bugged Danielle to no end. She could not afford to lose any more time, but if she left too big of a gap in her hoodie, Vlad might become suspicious if he returned anytime soon for another talk. And if he did, she'd use the silver blade against him.

The thought sent a spike of pain thorugh her leg, but Danielle gritted her teeth. She might have lost her ghostly tolerance for pain, but she would deal with her human-like pain tolerance. The first order of business: get a handle on the pain her leg was twinging through her body. Danielle crawled over to the door and began to work on the lower hinge. It wouldn't be as noticeable once she removed it. Working meticulously on wedging the peg out of the clamps for the hinge, Danielle strained her too human ears for anything that could signify that Vlad or one of his cronies were coming.

She had to stop a few hours later when one of the ectopuses Vlad had created long ago appeared to give her some food. Danielle wanted to refuse the food, but her stomach growled at her. Settling for nibbling, just encase any poison counted more on quantity than palpability, Danielle went back to work. She had finally gotten the first peg out by the time she had eaten half of her food and drank a third of her glass of water.

She moved onto the next peg after finding out the first one didn't give her enough leeway to escape. More hours later, along with a finished breakfast and a third-eaten lunch, Danielle got the second peg out. Testing the area, she found it gave just enough down at the bottom that she could squeeze out of it. There was one problem: she didn't want Vlad knowing how she escaped. Chewing on her lip, Danielle took her spoon and thread from her hoodie to set a simple rigging. As soon as the corner of the door would pop back into place after Danielle's escape, the thread would release around the spoon and place the pegs back into the clamps. Hopefully.

If she did it right, it wouldn't matter how she escaped. But she didn't want Vlad knowing how to imporve the cells anytime soon if he caught her again. Checking the outside world through the bars on the door, Danielle didn't see anyone or any ghost. Breathing deeply, Danielle crouched down adn started to slip out of the door. It was hard, tight, and hurt. She knew she would have bruises decorating her torso, back, arms, and legs for a while just from the door alone. Gritting her teeth, Danielle hauled herself out and was on her feet in an instant.

She recognized where she was now. Somehow, being outside of the cell made everything click: she was in the hidden dungeon of Vlad's mansion. A memory of when she was first created popped back unwantedly. She had explored the mansion tirelessly, loving the darker and creeper parts, especially the dungeon. Vlad had never liked her wondering when he had guests over. At least, never where the guests could see her. So Danielle had spent many days in the forgotten sectors and the dungeon.

Grinning the signature Fenton lopsided smirk—patent pending—Danielle took off down one corridor. Vlad wasn't known for changing the layout of his home, no matter how many times Danny had broken in. One would have thought he would ahve done the same for Danielle. She had lived in these halls for the first few months of her life. And in that time, she had learned every nook and cranny, memorizzed the layout better than the back of her hand. _This_ was where she had an advantage. Danielle knew Vlad didn't know half the secrets his mansion had despite being the mastermind behind its building.

Seeing the hidden door, Danielle ducked into it and started to run up the narrow stairs, dust billowing slightly, her silver knife held tightly in her hand. It felt a little awkward, the grip of the hilt not entirely suited for her hand. But it was good enough for Danielle at the moment. Any weapon was, especially if it could affect Vlad like silver could. Pain rippled through her leg, causing Danielle to lean against the wall as she waited for it to pass, breathing rapidly in and out through her nose. It resided in time and she began her path to the top anew. Once she knew she was reaching the top, she slowed her pace. It killed her to do so, but she couldn't have Vlad hearing her rushing footsteps. She needed as much time as being unnoticed as possible. Being caught now was stupid. Danielle saw the outline of the door at the top. She stopped in front of it, cupped her ears against the door, and pressed her ear to her cupped hands. Closing her eyes and straining her ears even more, she tried to detect any noise.

There was something, far off, maybe towards the end of a corridor. It wasn't hurried so it wasn't anyone trying to find her, yet. She focused more, trying to locate where in the hallways they could be. Maybe it was one of the empty rooms with tarps covering the furniture and plastic protecting the expensive leather. But there was only the creaking of floorbords beneath carpet as the person began to walk, the footsteps sounding closer to her hiding spot before fading away. Danielle waited a moment, before slowly opening the door inwards. She saw the back of one of Vlad's portraits. Pushing on it slightly, Danielle slowly closed the door behind her while moving out from behind the painting.

Her blue eyes scanned the corridor wearily for anyone, but no one was there. Keeping her breathing even adn her heart steady, Danielle made her way down the left side of the corridor. Her feet skipped and pranced over the creaky floorboards, knowing the tune they made by heart. Even after three years, it was still there, buried deep beneath years of pain and suffering. Danielle would be the first to say she'd rather forget her times in the Masters Mansion, but moments like these, when she could explore, had made that small time when she believed it to be her home bearable. Her mind always tried to dwell on these memories when her past came back.

She made it to the end and turned right, continuing her prancing and keeping her ears open. It might ahve been an abandoned sector, but it was obvious Vlad was having it watched. She couldn't afford to be caught. Just then, her ears picked up some movement. Eyes widening in fear, Danielle ducked into one of the abandoned rooms, leaning against the wall near the door as she listened intently. Someone shuffled past, griping about this stupid patrolling job Vlad had given them. Danielle let loose a breath she hadn't realize she had been holding when they were long gone.

Feeling safe, Danielle looked around the room. It wasn't as dusty as Danielle expected, until she saw the numerous boxes. Some where closed, others with flaps open to expose what was in them. Danielle crept closer and stared down at the equipment. Some of these she recognized when she had grown upin the mansion. They were inventions Vlad had become bitter about, ordering them out of his sight, into one of the many rooms of his lesser used sectors. This was obviously that room. Danielle knew they all worked. Vlad was only bitter about them because he had built them out of spite in hopes of attracting Maddie to his side by creating inventions so closely resembling Jack Fenton's designs, but farther improved.

This was the mother lode for Danielle. Everything she could need to escape was in these boxes. Grinning widely, Danielle began to sort through the boxes. She found some improved wrist rays that extended to encase her palm and back of her hand to make it seem like she was shooting ecto-blasts from her hands instead of focusing a wrist ray. This could be used perfectly to confuse Vlad, especially when Danielle tested it to see the blast was green. Oh, this invention was beyond perfect. Grinning even wider, Danielle took all of them, shoving two onto her wrists and the rest into her deep hoodie pocket. Next was a regular ecto-gun and extra cartridges of synthesized ectoplasm to use that she put into pouches of a belt she found before strapping said belt around her hips. Then she stumbled upon some goggles. At first, she wanted to toss them to the side, but then she realized they could zoom in and out, along with provide infrared lighting for nighttime. Despite the strangeness of Danielle taking a set of goggles—especially looking like they came from some machine shop—she put them in her hoodie pocket. Then her gaze landed on a slab of metal the size of a smart phone with a simple purple button in the middle. Picking it up, Danielle pressed the button and watched as it unfolded into a hover board.

Danielle remembered hearing jack ranting about how the schematics of this invention were killing him. Not even Maddie could figure out how to make one work properly. Apparently, Vlad had found a way to do so, and that would be his downfall. With this on her side, Danielle was guaranteed a way to fly back to Amity Park and through the Ghost Zone to the rift that would take her to the dimension she needed to go to. This would be Vlad's ultimate downfall, and Danielle would laugh it all up once he realized.

Until then, now it was time to make her grand escape.

Danielle looked up and saw the curtains blocking the window. She didn't even need to leave this sector to leave this mansion. Grinning that Fenton pending smile, Danielle slunk over to the window after having the hover board transform back into his slab of metal to be put in her back pocket. She moved a bit of the curtain and looked out. At first, she saw nothing until Skulker flew past. Danielle glared at him, knowing it would be impossible to get past him by just flying away. No, she'd have to sneak around him, like some animal of prey.

How ironic.

Danielle opened the window, happy it wasn't a cranking window, but a simply push up and down kind. She was out in moments, clinging to the window's ledge, two stories up in the air. Once Danielle knew the window was secured, she dropped down to the ground, rolling straight into one of Vlad's many rose bushes. Thorns pricked her skin, causing too warm blood to leak out in slow rivers. Keeping her hisses of pain under wraps, Danielle began to crawl towards the end of the bushes where they slipped into hedges. Her gaze shifted towards the sky, on lookout for Skulker's passing metal bulk. As soon as he passed again, she would disappear into the hedges and be on her way to her next destination: the fence. Once just by it, she would find a weak spot and use it, but she would have to wait for Skulker to pass by another time.

No sooner had Danielle thought these, when Skulker flew past, grumbling. He seemed rather angry and Danielle smirked as he kept flying, ignoring her form in the rose bushes. She disappeared into the hedges, the tangling branches providing more cover. It was slow going and Danielle had to stop halfway through in a precarious position when Skulker flew over again. Her heartbeat was erratic and sickening in her body as Skulker flew past and she began moving towards the end. By the time she was by the fence, Skulker had flown over again when she was in an even more dangerous situation in the hedge. But Skulker hadn't noticed her like the times before.

Now she was waiting for Skulker to make another appearance. And like clockwork—pun fully intended—Skulker appeared, still griping about Vlad. Except, this time he stopped and hovered. Danielle wondered why before Skulker lifted a hand to the side of his head farthest away from Danielle.

"Yes, sir, I'll be there soon," Skulker said with a mild pissed off vibe to his voice. Then Skulker flew back the way he had come, his muttering becoming louder. "Why he wants me to escort the replica, I have no idea."

Once Skulker was out of sight, Danille thought screw it. Vlad was making Skulker come and get her from her cell. And she was far away from that. Pulling out the hover board, Danielle activated it before hopping on. It was different from flying, Danielle observed frightfully. The weight of gravity still pulled down on her as she tilted the hoverboard enough to rise over the fence, realizing it was much like a skateboard and snowboard decided to have a kid that felt the need to defy gravity. Danielle could do this. She had done both in her years of travel and had excelled. Leaning forwards once the over board cleared the fence, Danielle was off like a speeding car, her black hair siping behind her and wind gusting into her eyes. Danielle wished for goggles when she remembered she had knapped a pair from the boxes—how could she forget? Pulling them out, Danielle put them on while not losing her balance nor her momentum.

As she began to fly over forests and highways, Danielle slipped into herself. She needed to see where her ghost core was at. Danielle reached for it, finding it somewhat closer to the surface, but not enough to grasp it. Her core was still out of reach, but it was there, pulsing in her body a little brighter and colder. Danielle basked in the feeling and slipped out of the haze for amoment, making sure she was heading southeast.

Then she was back into trying to reach her ghost core. Maybe she couldn't touch it now, but sh ecould find a way to build bridges, to break down the walls Vlad had put in place. Danielle tampered with her own body, finding the blockages. She had a feeling this was what Michi ahd said chi-blocking felt like when he had experienced it one time when he was thirteen. It certainly felt like what he had described: the power there, just out of reach. Mentally tapping against one block, Danielle ran invisible hands along the edges, trying to find soemthing that could help her. it was strong and fresh, rooted deeply in her body and blocking the ectoplasm behind it.

Danielle squinted her eyes in concentration as she imagined herself kicking it. She knew the proper way to sidekick, how to bend the leg and thrust out. A flying sidekick would generate more energy. Her mind backed away, steeled itself, before slamming into the wall, all the energy being generated behind the blade of a makeshift foot. Danielle felt the block wobble and spiderweb, but it held strong. Gritting her teeth as Danielle felt her outside body tilt a little bit more southeast, she attacked the wall again mentally. It wobbled and more cracks appeared, but it remained strong.

She was getting irritated, mad even. Her inner being howled before it launched a series of attacks on that wall. Danielle wanted her abilities back. Unlike Vlad and Danny, she had been born with these abilities. She did not understand what it was to be human or to be able to reminisce on what it was like. All she knew was that she was a halfa, that she was an abomination to the cycle of life and death, and she strangely enough loved it. Daniele loved her abilities, loved that sense of kindship she had with Danny through her ghostly half. And she _wasn't_ losing that because of Vlad.

 _Never._

With that lost thought, the block was smashed into pieces. Danielle was rushed back to her body, gasping for breath as the hover board wobbled. She felt like crying in relief. Underneath her skin, right into her blood stream, Danielle could feel ectoplasm—even though it was small—begin to pump in her veins. Her eyesight returned to its typical sharpness, the world coming into a better focus. Her hearing increased. She could hear the sound of the cars roaring beneath her, something she hadn't been able to hear over the rushing of wind around her. Danielle just gained this whole sense of awareness that was missing before that she realized as she tilted her hoverboard enough to keep the highway in sight as she lowered into a corps of trees.

She knew she would have to stop soon, though. The events of the past few days had taken their toll on Danielle. She was still tired and being in constant fear in that cell had not helped matters. Once she found a reasonable spot, she would lie down and sleep. So as she hovered along, Danielle began to think of what Vlad had said: Danny would be King.

It had registered in her mind back in the mansion, but it wasn't as prominent as it was now. She still had been fear-addled. Now, her mind was clear and sharper, taking in the information and processing it. As she had thought before, Danny would make a perfect King of Ghosts. He had every attribute for a benevolent ruler along with being powerful enough that he could enforce his rules if need be. Along with that, Danny being a halfa and all, his obsession could change where other ghosts couldn't. Danielle knew it was rare for a ghost, even if they were a halfa, to ahve their obsession change. Things could be added on, but the consensus that made a ghost that ghost would be the basic obsession. Danny, Danielle, and Vlad had a higher possibility for their obsession to change.

Danielle had gone through that change. At first, her obsession was travelling. She couldn't stay in one place for long, having to go from one to another. But she did ahve a small hero complex that usually got in the way of her original obsession. However, once she started to work for Clockwork, the urge to travle diminished and was replaced by the need to protect, just like the obsession Danny had. Danielle couldn't see her friends be harmed nor anyone in that world she was supposed to protect.

So if Danny were to become King, his obsession could either alter or change completely. Danielle hoped it would alter instead of change. Having a King who was willing to protect both the human world and the Ghost Zone would come in handy, especially where the Guys in White were concerned.

Daniele passed by a cave before it registered in her mind. Backing up, Danielle stared at the awning before hovering into the cave. She jumped off the hover board and pressed the button. It shrank back into the slab of metal which Danielle deposited back into her pocket. Looking around, Danielle could see the cave went deeper the rock. She grinned as she began to walk down the darkened tunnel, hand on a wall while the other extended in front of her. Danielle concentrated but felt something cutting her off from her ecto-blasts. Sighing hugely, Danielle sat down far enough back the light of the cave couldn't reach her, but she could still see it as a pinprick in her distance.

Curling up on the uncomfortable ground, Danielle fell asleep.

* * *

 **December 10, 2016  
12:07 EST  
Kitchen of the Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

Michi felt liek smashing his head into a wall.

He understood these heroes wouldn't become perect, but they were still failing miserably. Many of them didn't understand the definition of preserving. He had tried to show them how to keep their breathing even so they had more stamina, which would be essential in the battle tomorrow. The only way he got it across was brutal drilling. He had taken a note out of Nevidebla's book, and forced a series of pushups on anyone who forgot their breathing technique and more if they lsot their stances. Some were getting it, but most were failing or focusing too much on one thing, they forgot the other and the fight in front of them.

Nevidebla had trained them all ruthlessly on weapons again. He could see how much strain it put on her arms to lift her shield and sword over and over again, but Mighi didn't say anything. Nevidebla had snapped at him earlier this morning on how they didn't ahve time for coddling. He knew she had gone into warrior mode. She had seen enough battles to know what to expect and knew what could get someone killed better than Michi. Though Michi had a feeling Nevidebla not resting properly would get her killed.

That was why he had called a mandatory lunch break. Yesterday, they sent off a couple of people to eat while they kept training the rest. They both didn't eat until late into the night. This would make sure Nevidebla got as much as a break as the rest. Which was why they were in the kitchen, eating, and Nevidebla was shooting him glares over her food.

"Don't give me that," Michi stated, eating the pulled-pork sandwich Nightwing had handed him.

"We don't have time for this," Nevidebla snapped, stabbing her mac-and-cheese viciously with her fork.

"You needed a break just as much as they did," Michi pointed out. When he got another glare, he raised an eyebrow. "Nevi, I don't care how many wars and battles you've been in, you need to focus on yourself, too."

"Says the person who's always pushing himself beyond his own limits and sometimes forgets he needs to let his amputation sight _breathe_ ," Nevidebla pointed out, waving her fork vaguely at Michi's left leg where he had uncermoniously removed his prosthetic as soon as she had sat down on the counter.

He gave her a glare and tossed a grape at her from the plate next to him. Nevidebla responded by catching it in her mouth and smirking at Michi's disgruntled face. But his mind felt a little better. He knew they were on the edge of breaking. The only reason they hadn't was the mission. Everything was riding on them now, and if they were to break, the heroes would die. They would have failed Danielle, Caspar, and Clockwork by not getting over the fact they had lost two members with no way of contacting them or making sure they were okay outside of Nevidebla's dreams. As long as both remained strong until the end of the battle, they could get this donw, so Michi was making it a point to keep moving and Nevidebla seemed to be doing the same.

"What should we work on next?" Nevidebla asked.

"Weapons," Michi answered instantly, sighing heavily. "I can't get any more breathing and stance techniques into them. They know the drills and what I expect, but to apply it, they need to get into that calm."

"They won't get into that calm until the battle, and even then, that's iffy," Nevidebla sighed in return.

"Some rely too heavily on their powers," Michi stated, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"For some, it's all they've ever needed. Next to that, it's hand-to-hand comabt. Nothing with weapons liek what we've put into their hands. The only ones who have taken well to their weapons are Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, Tigress, Beast Boy, Bumblebee, and Blue Beetle. And the only reason for that is three of them were trained by Batman and the other four were given advancements or wepaons they already use in combat. Superboy and Kid Flash are taking well to their bronze knuckles, but only because it's the same principle as punching. Other than that, the rest of them need training. We don't even know how the League's doing!" Nevidebla exclaimed, waving her arms around at the end before shoveling food into her mouth. "It's all a mess."

Michi crinkled his nose at the dispaly of chewed food as Nevidebla talked. This was a habit that got on his nerves althe time with Nevidebla, and it was annoying how she ahd taught Caspar how to do it. Even Danielle sometimes joined them when it was a Mess-with-Michi Day!

"Please, swallow then speak," Michi begged. Usually, Nevidebla argued, but she did swallow this time before speaking.

"Sorry," Nevidebla whispered, putting her empty bowl into the sink and turning on the facet, reusing to leave her perch on the counter. "I just ... I don't know."

"I know," Michi replied easily, looking at his friend. "We can do this."

"Can we?" Nevidebla asked. Michi pursed his lisp. That was at least the second time Nevidebla had been questioning their abilities and decisions. He understood the numbers of when Nevidebla had gone on a ran earlier in the morning after she explained who the Joker was to Michi (and there was _no way_ he was picking a fight with that crazy clown). Without Danielle and Caspar, they were down many factors that could tip the tides in their favor. Danielle had strength, flight, her ecto-beams, and just knew how to fight viciously with no restraint on these monsters. Caspar knew the machines. Michi had seen how fast Nightwing could dismantle a machine back in New Orleans and he was _slow_ compared to the quick in and out Caspar did. Nightwing even had Danielle helping him and he was still slow!

Now, the two people who understood those machines better than anyone in this universe besides the creator, were missing.

"Nevi, look at me," Michi said and his friend's hazel eyes focused on him. He could see how much worry and pain was lancing through her as the hours ticked by. "We may not have them with us, but we are strong, okay? We know what we're doing and we ahve your strategy down. Everyone, even the Justice League, agreed it had made sense. YOu and me, we can do this. I would like Dani and Caspar her just as much as the next person, but we're all they have and we _can_ do this, so stop with the second guessing."

"Okay," Nevidebla whispered, rubbing her face. "Yeah, okay."

They descended into silence as they continued eating, both lost in thought. Michi was tempted to interrupt the silence, but soemone else did so.

"I've enver seen two teenagers so quiet."

Michi looked over to see Tigress standing near the sink. He didn't let it affect him that he hadn't sensed her. His grey eyes focused on the woman. She had Vietnamese features with the shape of her eyes and face structure, but her hair was a golden blonde and her eyes a stormy grey. Tigress wore her typical orange outfit as she hopped up onto the counter that Nevidebla was sitting on, just on the other side of the sink.

"Just got a lot on our minds," Nevidebla answered. Tigress turned her gaze to the fellow blonde.

"Yes, but I remember Blue Beetle, Superboy, and Nightwing mentioning you being quite hyper," Tigress stated.

"Hard to be hyper when you have a lot to do and your mind needs to focus on survival more than staring contests," Nevidebla answered with ease as Michi finished off his sandwich.

Tigress focused her gaze on Michi, "And what about you? Are you doing okay?"

"No," Michi stated bluntly, giving the woman look, "but I'm going to keep going forwards because at the moment, our mission is more important than getting our friends. Once this battle is over with, I'm focusing on getting Caspar and Dani back. Nevi?"

"I'm with Michi," Nevidebla agreed, eating a Dorito from the bag stationed by her. "Once this is over with, we're getting our friends back."

"And if we encounter problems before then?" Tigress asked.

"You guys have weapons and enough training and others to help advance said training you won't need us right away. Besides, if we get Caspar and Dani back immediately, there is a better chance we can stop this," Nevidebla answered with a short nod.

"Who would we get first?" Michi asked.

"I'm still listing the pros and cons," Nevidebla groaned, shoving two Doritos into he rmouth. This time, she finished eating before she continued on. "On one hand, getting Dani before Caspar, we'd have more aerial, strength, and a mind that does know the machines to an extent. The only problem is that we can only assume she's in a different dimension and we have no way of knowing how to get back here."

"We do," Michi stated, pulling out the battered communication watch with Clockwork. It allowed them to appear in and out of Clockwork's domain.

"Yeah, there's that, except one problem," Nevidebla sighed, her head falling behind her to meet the door of a cabinet. "Clockwork's going to be pissed he'll have to send us back again. You know how much it drains him to send us to a blurring dimension."

"We could use the rift," Michi pointed out, remembering the vortex that Danielle and Caspar had been talking about two days ago—was it really only two days ago? It felt like longer.

"It's unsafe," Nevidebla coutnered, waving a hand around before it went back into the chip bag. "The only ones who can possibly survive the vortex are ones who can easily deform and reform. Monsters can because they have no soul nad explode into dust. Ghosts can because they're made of ectoplasm, power, and will. They can fore themselves to become a puddle by thought and then reform into their original self."

"Shit," Michi whispered, eyes widening in horror.

"What?" Nevidebla asked, sitting up, chip in hand.

"Dani might be trying to come through that," Michi whispered. He watched as the Dorito Nevidebla held slipped out of her fingers.

"Oh Syx," Nevidebla whispered. "Cerberus's balls."

"Yep," Michi rasped, rubbing a hand down his face. Danielle wouldn't like taht and probably didn't even know of that. Michi knew half of Nevidebla's theories and knowledge she kept in her mind. And this was something he hadn't heard her mention before. It was probably something she had come to a conclusion based on what Danielle and Caspar had described the vortex between this world and her world was like.

"Then we should get Caspar," Nevidebla answered, rubbing her face roughly with both hands, leaving a smear of orange across her face fromt he chip dust left on her fingers.

"You sound somewhat resistant," Tigress pointed out, making Michi jump. He had forgotten she was here, listening to their conversation to the end.

"We should be," Nevidebla answered, looking at Michi, as if Tigress wasn't there at all. "He's on Apokolips, the place these things are coming from. Caspar's inside at the moment. He has access to everything since they're using him as a test subject. Sooner or later, he's going to come up with a plan and escape. The only problem is, is that his plan is going to revove around a Father Box, something Caspar doesn't know how to use. I don't know how to use it!"

"But this is Caspar,' Michi said, making sure he was sounding soothing as Nevidebla's voice rose. "Remember the incident with the toaster and crockpit?"

It got his desired effect: Nevidebla started to laugh. Of course, it was slightly hysterical with an underlying tone of sadness, but she was still laughing, her hazel eyes having a sheen of mirth in their gaze.

"I can't believe he had never seen either of those and fixed them so well after you screwed up," Nevidebla cackled, clapping her hands. "Oh gods, your face when the bread popped up was hilarious!"

Michi didn't try to defend himself, smirking softly.

"Yes, now think about what he's doing now. Caspar was able to make quick connections about those platforms and tear them apart immediately. If anything, he's doing fine and will find a way off of Apokolips with a Father Box."

"I'm only worried about what he's planning to stop the production of these platforms," Nevidebla sighed.

"He's not a killer," Michi stated, knowing where Nevidebla was going with this.

"But he can be a demolitionist, an arsonist, and a damn good revolutionist," Nevidebla groaned.

"For all we know, he's planning on destroying the place, setting it on fire, or starting a revolution on the planet," Michi stated with a nod. "Typical Caspar."

"And if anything else, he's thinking of some grand escape, whether he knows it or not," Nevidebla snorted, a small smirk gracing her face.

"He's known for doing that?" Tigress asked skeptically, but there was a hint of pain in her eyes and in her voice.

"All the time," Nevidebla answered with a nod, going back to eating the chips.

"Sometimes Nevi's his cohort in the debacle," Michi stated, rolling his eyes.

"We're not that bad," Nevidebla argued. Michi smirked at her, seeing her resigned face.

"A girl who knows the secret to Greek fire and a boy who is a demolition-arson-revolutionary-starter expert? Oh, of course nothing could go wrong," Michi said, sarcasm leaking into his tone. Nevidebla glowered at him before tossing a handful of chips at Michi, which only caused the brunet to chuckle as he brushed the Doritos off of him. "It's true and you know it."

"Were they like that from the beginning?" Tigress asked, a gleam of fond nostalgia reflecting in her grey eyes.

"No, way worse," Michi laughed as Nevidebla blushed an impressinve red color. "She and Caspar couldn't get along for the life of them so when we needed something destroyed, they got in each other's way and ended up making a house fly thousands of feet into the air like a rocket one time. They were forced into their Get-Along Shirt for a full twenty-four hours on orders by Dani."

Tigress had started to laugh and Michi dissolved into his own laughter as Nevidebla blushed even brighter and redder.

"Oh, says you," Nevidebla snpaped. "What about when you completely flipped out when we used comm-links?"

Michi just blushed at the thought, his laughter residing into chuckles.

"What happened?" Tigress breathed out.

"Well, besides the small rector scale earthquake, he ended up punching Caspar because the redhead was the first one to speak over the comms," Nevidebla laughed. "They went into a straight out brawl afterwards, making Michi and Caspar having to be forced into the Get-Along Shirt for two hours. And that mission was in _public_. too. Oh gods, that was an awesome day."

"Have you and Michi been put in this Get-Along Shirt?" Tigress asked.

"Yep," Nevidebla said, chuckling. "We got into a fight over the moral standpoint on if it was okay to break into someone's house we were _supposed_ to break into."

"I was new to this," Michi groaned.

"We all were," Nevidebla laughed.

"Has Dani ever been placed in this shirt?" Tigress asked.

"We all ahve with varying different people," Michi answered with a smirk. "Caspar and Nevidebla were the two most common, especially together. Dani mostly had difficulties with either me or Caspar. Me, I had difficulties with Dani and Nevi more so than Caspar."

"It was rare to see me and Dani in the Get-Along Shirt together like it was rare to see Michi and Caspar in it together, but it's happened," Nevidebla sighed, nostalgia in her voice. "I think Dani has it now."

"It's not like we've gotten into a fight," Michi pointed out.

"No, but you never know," Nevidebla countered.

"It's one. When are we getting back to training," Nightwing interrupted as Michi opened his mouth to keep bantering with Nevidebla. At those words, something in Michi seemed to whine. This break had been the best because he and Nevidebla were able to relax enough they had started to tease each other again. He didn't want that to stop, but they had a duty. Michi sighed and hopped down from the counter along with Nevidebla, Tigress trailing behind them.

"I'll inform the others," Nevidebla said.

"I'll get the training room set up. Which set?" Michi asked.

"Set Seven," Nevdiebla answered instantly. Michi ndoded and made his way back to the training room. As he walked down the corridors, he could feel something in his gut twist. He had been on enough missions to know what this meant.

Soemthing major was about to happen. And it wasn't just the battle.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note**

 **Finally got this chapter done for who knows how long for me. On another note: I GOT TO SEE DOCTOR STRANGE! This is my second favorite Marvel movie (Deadpool will always be first. Always). It pushed Antman to third place. Please note, this is my personal preference. You can like the Avengers more and I won't really care.**

 **And now I've realized I just posted this author's note when I'm writing a crossover that includes the D.C. Universe but no Marvel. Ah well.**

 **I'd also like to thank all of you wonderful people for following and favoriting. You can leave a comment anytime and I will certaintly respond in the next update until the story is completed (and even then, there will be an extra author's note at the end to answer any questions asked throughout the story by you guys and announcment if I'll follow the line of Clockwork's Apprentices).**

 **Now, ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

 **FOUR**

 **December 11**

 **December 11, 2016  
03:21 CST  
Cave, Wisconsin**

Danielle woke up with a start, her body stiff from her position, but she felt more energetic than she had since Skulker had stabbed her in the leg. Sitting up, rubbing the back of her neck and groaning, Danielle concentrated on her ghost core. It was so close to the surface now she could brush it with her fingers, icy tendrils spreading like frost through her body. Danielle moved around her body, finding a new block to destroy. It was easier this time. She still had to mentally tear it down with vicious strikes, but she didn't need to dip into anger by then.

Standing up, Danielle concentrated on shifting into her ghost form. The rings didn't even spread out from her waist, just made a quick sputtering flash before dying out completely. A heavy sigh escaped Danielle. If she couldn't shift into her ghost form, she couldn't fly that way. She'd have to fly on the hover board again all the way to Amity Park, Illinois. Walking out of the cave into the dark, chilly air of a Wisconsin winter, Danielle activated the hover board and stepped on. She pulled the goggles up from where they rested around her neck back into position before she was flying towards Amity Park.

Along the way, she focused on her other abilities. Thinking of intangibility, Danielle felt the chilling feeling encompass her body as she sped faster through the dense corps of trees, the bark and branches passing harmlessly through her and the board. Grinning, Danielle reached for her invisibility, her body flickering in and out of the visible spectrum before she entirely became invisible ... and crashed into a tree. Glancing off the bark, Danielle skidded into the snow, rolling legs over shoulders until she came to a stop. Popping up and shaking the snow from her hair, Danielle stood up and collected the hover board, which was luckily undamaged.

She didn't like the implications of what that meant. She could only use one of her powers at a time, not two at once. Gnawing on her lip, Danielle decided to stick to intangibility until she was out of the grove of trees and over the highway, then she would switch to invisibility.

Hopping back onto the hover board, Danielle checked the starry sky and headed southeast again, phasing through the trees. Her mind remained focused on the task of getting through the trees until the highway came into sight. Releasing her hold on her intangibility, Danielle quickly grasped onto her invisibility as she sailed higher into the sky to follow the path straight to Amity Park.

At this height, she was able to think clearly.

She had so much stress on her body at the moment. First, she had to find Danny. She needed to inform him that she was alright and was out of Vlad's clutches. Then, Danielle would need to head into the Ghost Zone and find that vortex, she'd fly into it and send herself back to the world with her friends in it.

Making sure she flew over the right turn, Danielle leaned forwards just a little bit more, the hover board picking up speed and whining beneath her feet slightly. She knew she was pushing it and risking damage to herself at the speed. Danielle looked beneath her and found she was easily outracing any cars on the highway this early in the morning, their lights beacons in the dark night. Breathing in deeply, the icy wind snapped at her nose and her lungs. Danielle tipped her head upwards, looking up at the stars. This was a reason she loved traveling: the stars were always brighter. She usually traveled to places not habited by people, to see what the sky would look like without air pollution. And it was beautiful, constellations blending into stars rarely seen. The black darker and richer while the pinpricks of light were more extravagant.

Danielle flew over another exit, descending farther into the countryside, a brighter streak of light off in the distance. It had gone faster than Danielle had assumed to fly to Amit Park, but it always did when she flew there. She didn't understand why and didn't particularly care. As the lights became closer and dark buildings began to rise, Danielle slowed considerably to weave around them in sharp turns, having to bend down and grip the metal of the hover board to stay on. Her fingers tiched to turn on the switch for infrared, but there was enough lighting for Danielle to see so she didn't.

The houses shifted from uniform to buildings to patch-worked. Danielle felt her shoulders shag in relief as she flew to the house with the alien ship on top. Tears pricked at her eyes and she didn't realize how much she wanted to hug her cousin, latch onto Danny and not let go until the fear Vlad had instilled in her was gone. She flew over to Danny's room and switched from invisibility to intangibility and flew through his window. Danielle landed on his floor with light feet, pressing the button on the hover board so it shrunk again into the metal slab before it was placed back in her pocket. Turning around, Danielle looked around Danny's room to see it empty, the bed unkempt and incomplete homework on his desk.

Danielle chewed on her lip, knowing Danny could be out stopping a ghost, but she needed to see someone. Jazz had accepted her, Danielle remembered, and she was visiting from college. The redhead as known for giving Danielle her schedule anytime she saw her, even if it changed or hadn't. Jazz's explanation was that at least Danielle had one, especially if she had lost the one before, which had sadly happened many ties. Danielle opened the door and headed to Jazz's room, being careful of the creaky floorboards. She had learned the secrets of the Fenton household like she had of the Masters Mansion.

Danielle stopped outside of Jazz's door, looking around, before opening it. There was a light on, set to dim, focused right on the bed. Danielle grinned widely at Jazz's sleeping form propped up by pillows with a book in her lap that was about psychology, which wasn't a big shocker when it came down to Jazz. Danielle shut the door behind her and approached Jazz, removing the book and plaicng a bookmark in it. The black-haired youth sat down on the bed, the mattress shifting slightly and causing Jazz to shift a little but didn't wake her up. Huffing through her nose, Danielle reached over and nudged Jazz's shoulder.

"Jazz," Danielle hissed, shaking the shoulder. The redhead groaned and sat up from her propped position, rubbing her turquoise eyes.

"What?" Jazz moaned out, finally focusing in the light. Her mouth gapped open and her eyes grew wide. "DANI!"

Danielle was wrapped into a fierce hug which she didn't refuse. The blue-eyed girl felt herself embrace her cousin, tears pricking at her eyes. She didn't know how long they hugged, all she knew was that the fear she had felt was receding as she clung to Jazz.

"How'd you escape?" Jazz whispered, not letting her go.

"I thought of how Nevi would have or even Caspar," Danielle answered, realizing her voice sounded hoarse again, almost sounding like it was rubbed raw. "Luckily, Nevi had given out knives, so I used that to wedge out the pegs in the door hinges before slipping through. Then it was just a matter of escaping Vlad's mansion."

"How'd you get here?" Jazz asked, pulling away to look at Danielle but not completely letting her go.

"He has a room or two full of inventions that he despises. You know how Jack was working on a hover board before tossing it because of the schematics not adding up?" Danielle asked. Jazz nodded, lifting a hand up and patting down Danielle's greasy black hair. "Apparently Vlad made one in hopes of impressing Maddie, but when that didn't seem to impress her, he tossed it into the room. I stumbled upon said room and it worked so I flew that here."

"Why didn't you fly yourself?" Jazz asked. Danielle felt tears spring to her eyes despite not having cried before. It was just something about Jazz. Danielle wasn't known for crying, but when she was around this redhead, she broke down. The only other people who had seen her cry were Danny, Nevidebla, Michi, and Caspar. But the person she could break down in front of the fastest was Jazz.

"He cut it off," Danielle whispered, gesturing to her chest. "I broke down two walls, but it's still cut off. I can become intangible and invisible and I think my healing factor's coming back along with the fact my senses have gone back to their usual sharpness."

"Dani," Jazz whispered sadly, pulling her in again. It was as if Jazz just knew why Danielle cried over that. "It's okay. You can get it back, obviously."

"Yeah," Danielle whispered hollowly. She didn't pull away but shifted herself around so the two girls leaned back against the plethora of Jazz's pillows, Danielle's head resting on her shoulder while her knees were pulled up to her chest. She could feel Jazz's arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders, her hand slowly untangling her mess of hair.

"Did Vlad tell you about Danny?" Jazz asked.

"Yeah," Danielle rasped. "It's why I escaped faster."

"Why?" Jazz asked.

"There's a rift in the Ghost Zone at the moment, leading to the world I'm supposed to be at, at the moment. But Skulker showed up and abducted me. The worst thing, though, is that Vlad would take that world over and might find the other world that rift's connected to, which is Nevi's world," Danielle explained.

"So you're saving, what? Three or four worlds?" Jazz asked. Danielle could hear her smirk.

"Shut up," Danielle laughed, not leaving her spot even though she should. Jazz knew she was here now, far away from Vlad. Danielle _should_ be flying into the Ghost Zone at this very moment, but couldn't bring herself to do so. She could spare a few minutes, right? Then again, Nevidebla never specified _when_ the battled was happening, only that it would be on December 11. For all Danielle knew, it was going on right now. Sadly, even that thought couldn't get Danielle to move properly out of her spot.

"Let's wait for Danny to come back," Jazz whispered into the room. Danielle nodded lazily, staring at Jazz's far wall, lost in the sensation of being cared for.

And as she became comfortable, she slipped back inot her body, phantom fingers seeking a new wall. It was easier to rip down with mental kicks and ramming her mind into the block like she would if she were to bust a door down. The new flow of ectoplasm felt liberating to Danielle, making her body relax faster against Jazz. Lifting a hand up, Danielle focused on summoning an ecto-blast. Her hands flickered before a weak one began to fizzle to life, lazily licking up her fingers almost as if it were green fire and not like the ebbing flow of light that would come from a star. It was so different, Danielle couldn't help but to focus on those differences, leaning in closer to see the difference.

"Jazz, does it look like fire to you?" Danielle asked softly, the redhead joining her in the examination.

"It ... it does!" Jazz yelped in shock, grabbing Danielle's wrist to bring her hand closer to her cousin's turquoise eyes. That's ... Danny's doesn't even do that when he has it powered so low!"

"Huh, guess Michi was wrong,' Danielle laughed, extinguishing the strange ecto-blast. He had always said she'd be a waterbender, not a firebender. Or maybe, it was just the blocks making her ecto-blasts look momentarily like fire. Maybe when more were destroyed, the wouldn't be so much like fire.

"What's this about Michi?" Jazz asked. Danielle shrugged nonchalantly.

"He likes to determine what kind of bender we'd be. Caspar's a firebender, I'm a waterbender, and Nevi's an airbender, though we've all decided she'd be the most unconventional airbender out there," Danielle responded.

"Form another one, but focus on it looking like how it usually does," Jazz ordered. Danielle shrugged and did as the redhead asked, holding her hand out and focusing. This time, she thought about how her ecto-blasts would usually look: a weak, pulsing, ball of light within in her hands. Her hand became alight again, this time the ecto-blast looking more like waht she had always associated with a weak-powered ecto-blast.

"What?" Danielle whispered.

"Imagine the fire," Jazz ordered softly. Danielle did, thinking back on those green flames licking up her fingers, and the ectoplams shifted before her eyes. It lifted up from the ebbing star to flickering, bright green flames with tints of white mixed in. Dnaielle didn't need prompting to imagine the ectoplasm as something else. Michi's words echoed in her head as the ectoplasm became a softly glowing liquid, dripping from her cupped hand to land on her red jeans. Danielle grinned widely before looking up at Jazz who was gaping in shock.

"This ... why?" Danielle whispered, imagining the ectoplasmic water rising into the air and floating around, dancing in the air, following the movements of her fingers. Dnaielle was entranced, wondering how she was capable of doing such a thing and why it took her three years to and her ectoplams flow to be blocked for her to discover this.

"You are different from Danny," Jazz answered simply, grinning widely. "That stuff he shot you with, it obviously changed your gene makeup enough so your powers would be similar to an extent, but still different enough they can evolve."

"Why now?" Danielle asked.

"You believed too much," Jazz replied, lifting a hand up and disturbing the snaking ectoplasmic water in the air so it rippled into the air like wiggling worms. "You thought yourself to be too much like Danny when you are Danielle, a different person."

Danielle opened her mouth to ask more questions when the door to the room banged open. The ectoplasmic water shifted into green fire before it dispelled itself out of Danielle's shock. Standing in the doorway was Danny, breathing heavily with frantic eyes, not seeing Danielle yet. His eyes were fully focused on Jazz.

"I couldn't find her in that damn place," Danny groaned, flopping onto the bed.

"And he wonders why people call him clueless," Danielle quipped, making Danny's head shoot up and stare at his cousin for an agonizing fifteen seconds. Then she was pulled into one of the tightest hugs Danny had ever given her. It was second to the hug he had given her when she was stable, after the scare of her almost becoming nonexistent anymore.

"You're okay," Dany whispered, his voice cracking.

"I'm okay," Danielle answered, patting his back, "but I won't be if you plan on crushing my ribs."

Danny laughed hoarsely but pulled away, allowing Danielle to breathe. "How?"

"Spending time with Nevi and needing to break out in varying ways really helps," Danielle answered with a smirk. "I was able to wedge thsoe pegs in a door's hinges out and got out that way. Turns out, I was in Vlad's duneon, so I knew where I was and found the hidden passage leading to one of his lesser used sectors. I came across a room where he put inventions he was bitter about since he was trying to impress Maddie with them. He somehow got a hover board to work, so I rode that here."

"Why not fly?" Danny asked shakily.

"He cut it off," Danielle answered.

"But she's been breaking down the walls inside her," Jazz cut in when Danny looked particularly murderous. He calmed down, nodding. "Show him."

Danielle rolled her eyes, but called upon an ecto-blast, making sure it started out as that ball of light before it shifted into green flames and finally ectoplasmic water that Danielle sent writhing into the air around them, casting a green glow upon the three occupants. She watched Danny's face as it transformed into shocked wonder.

"How ...?" Danny whispered.

"She stopped believing she was a copy," Jazz answered easily. Danielle had the ectoplasmic water disperse in steam, the only light in the room being the dim lamp light.

"I have to get going," Danielle sighed heavily. "There's still plenty to do in the D.C. universe."

"How badly?" Danny asked.

"There's a battle today," Danielle answered.

"You can't go," Danny stated.

"Why?" Danielle snapped, glaring at her cousin.

"You're injured," Danny stated, gesturing to her body. Danielle looked down, seeing the wound in her thigh, the white bandage stained completely red and all the tiny cuts she got from her fall into the rose bushes.

"This is nothing, Danny," Danielle whispered steadily. "I've had worse, far worse, and still had to fight. Right now, I'm afraid to know what my friends are going through."

"You should sleep," Danny said.

"I slept before I came here," Danielle answered easily. "I'm sorry, Danny, but I really do have to go. I only came here so you two knew I was away from Vlad so you didn't have to give him the kingship." Danny nodded sadly. Sighing, Danielle reached over and hugged her cousin tightly. "You'l see me again, I promise."

"At least let us give you a new badnage for your leg," Jazz begged. Danielle nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed as Jazz pulled out a first aid kit from her bedside table, it hidden beneath piles of journals. Jazz worked quickly, cleaning the wound and re-bandaging it. But Danielle still saw how much more shallow it was. That was good, it meant her healing was coming back, just not as fast as Danielle would have liked.

When the bandage was taken care of, Danielle stood up and made her way out of Jazz's room. She knew her cousins were following her as they made their way to the basement. Danny opened the Fenton Portal and Danielle pulled out the hover board, activating it and hopping back on. Turning to face her cousins, Danielle grinned.

"Hopefully I'll be back in time to see the coronation," Danielle stated before having the hover board rush into the Ghost Zone. She pulled the goggles on once she entered, staring around at the swirling, lightweight green ectoplasm and floating purple doors. Crouching down on the hover board, Danielle gripped the side and leaned forwards. The form allowed for less air-resistance—or would it be ectoplam-resistance?—as she flew faster through the Ghost Zone. Her eyes watched her surroundings, searching for a discrepancy in the ectoplasmic air. She skirted around Skulker's island, followed the crumbling highway Johny 13 rode on, past Pandora's realm, and straight into the darker depths of the Ghost Zone. The Far Frozen was to her left, a small speck of white in the Ghost Zone and her last view of the known area. Despite loving to explore, Danielle had never gone farther than the Far Frozen, preferring to remain in the areas she was familiar with. It was her way of being close to Danny encase anything happened to her in the ghostly world. He would hear about her far faster in that area than if she was farther out, past the Far Frozen and Pandora's realm.

Straightening up now, Danielle looked around as one of her hands slowly moved to the ecto-gun she had taken from Vlad. The ectoplasm here was less green and more black, the doors far and fewer between. Narrowing her eyes behind the goggles' lenses, Danielle observed the area. Was this the legendary Nightmare Sector? It sure felt like it. Danielle gulped, not liking the creeping feel crawling up her spine. Pushing the hover board to go a little faster, she sped through the area, searching for the discrepancies and found one. It was just enough. What should have been an area of swirling green dancing in the black, the green was slowly being pulled into straight lines one way.

Danielle spun ehr hover board around, racing to the area, eyes on the lookout for more of the discrepancies and anything that would try to attack her. The discrepancies became more prominent, something hard to ignore as she kept going. Then she found it, the swirling vortex in the heart of the sector she was in. It looked like a tornado, a black heartless tornado broken by light green liens here and there. Now she understood why most of the sector was empty. The tornado wasn't welcoming, far more terrifying than any feeling the sector was creating. Steeling her nerves, having a small feeling this was going to hurt, Danielle flew at the tornado. At the last minute, she deactivated the hover board as she flew straight into the heart of the vortex.

After that, all she knew was pain.

* * *

 **December 11, 2016  
06:45 EST  
Living Room of the Headquarters of the Team, Appalachian Mountains**

Michi was awoken by the blaring sound of an alarm. He jerked awake, barely avoiding Nevidebla's involuntary knee jerk at being disturbed. Both were on their feet, racing to the meeting room while other Young Justice members were running to it, too. Michi and Nevidebla entered at the same time, seeing Nightwing already pulling up video feed while Batgirl seemed to be contacting people with the help of Robin.

"They started the attack," Nightwing said in a rush. Michi could see series of portals being activated and monsters filing out of the shimmering air.

"Holy Hades," Nevidebla whispered quietly, staring at the screen.

"We'll be Zeta beaming to Manhattan. Remember what you're meant to fight. Go!" Nightwing snapped. The heroes rushed out, leaving Nevidebla and Michi alone with Nightwing.

"You need to use the override for us," Michi said. Nightwing nodded, walking them over to the Zeta beams. Michi watched as each hero walked into one and transported away in a flash of light. His stomach clenched at the idea of traveling this way again. He hadn't been fond of it the first time. Nevidebla entered first and as Nightwing put in the override, Michi took off his shoes and sock. When Nightwing turned around, Michi was ready to go, though the hero seemed confused.

"Why aren't you wearing your shoes?" Nightwing asked as Michi checked his pockets for his blindfold. It was in his jacket's pocket, like it always was.

"If I'm to fight Medusa, my feet must see for me," Michi answered easily, stepping into the tube.

Nightwing didn't ask him anymore questions, just put in the override. Michi felt his body twist, starting at his gut. Like before, it felt like minutes but was really seconds. He appeared in a rundown telephone booth and stumbled out. As soon as his feet hit pavement, Michi reached into his pocket and took out his blindfold, securing it tightly around his eyes and not allowing a lick of light in. Closing his eyes for farther measure, Michi banged his metallic leg against the street. He could feel the vibrations spreading outwards and the ones he received back. Everything about the world was foreign, except Nevidebla's beacon of racing height, sure but light feet, and the resounding sense of a shield and sword.

He could tell who was a hero, who was a civilian, and who was a monster. Michi focused on the monsters, eliminating those who momentarily touched the ground before ascending into the air and those bigger than a human's typical size. The ones that slithered where shoved to the side. Michi moved to the side to avoid some monster, sending out a whip of Celestial bronze to destroy the monster. He shifted past each monsters, shoving them to the sides. There were women, but he could barely feel their hair, meaning they had to be Empousai with their fire hair. Their steps were also uneven and shaped differently, one side being metal and the other being a donkey leg. Michi had briefly seen them before their control of the Mist completely overtook him. If it wasn't for Danielle and Nevidebla, Michi didn't know what would ahve happened to him.

Then he felt something familiar, feminine, and a monster. Michi flexed his fingers and began to make his way over to the monster, weaving around the battlefield by vibrations. He had sensed something very similiar to this back when he had gotten injured in the side. Teh wound still stung and Nevidebla had to check the wound periodically, but it wasn't worse than the leg wound he had to heal from on his own without a waterbender healer to help in some way. His father's decision.

Michi could feel the writhing snakes for hair. He remembered the gorgons his group had ran into days ago. She was different. They had been heavier in footing, but only slightly, and their snakes were different in a way. Hers seemed more deadly, as if her head was wreathed with black mambas instead of coral snakes and green vipers that covered her sisters' heads. Michi knew he had found Medusa, but he also knew how difficult gorgons were to fight without having to purposefully blind one's self.

Michi bended his chunk of Celestial bronze, sending out a whip at the monster. He felt her dodge and the whip kept whistling in the air. Michi jerked his arm back, sending another sharp arch at the monster, who dodged again. Growling, Michi kicked the ground, feeling the earth move, cracking the street a little as it sped to the monster, throwing off her balance. Michi lashed out again with the metal whip, but Medusa barely escaped the weapon with a well-timed roll. He cocked his heaad to the side, sensing the vibrations of her footsteps, remaining still. This was what defined earth-bending: waiting. Michi hadn't done enough waiting and listening since things happened. He had tried for the most part, but things demanded he be more proactive instead of reactive. This was a situation that demanded he be reactive, and Michi almost started to cry in relief.

He was in his element.

"A blindfolded boy," Medusa spoke in a sultry, Mid-Eastern accent. Michi didn't react. "I bet your eyes are beautiful beneath that blindfold. You don't mind giving Auntie Em a peek, do you?" Michi still didn't respond, waiting for her footsteps to falter in some way or for the perfect moment to _make_ her falter. "Such a beautiful boy, even with a prosthetic. Why can't I see your eyes?"

Michi felt it. That small hesitation in her steps to ignore some glass on the street. Michi quickly stepped into a horse stance, thrusting his arm upwards. The earth moved with his movements, hitting Medusa in the leg. He knew it would send her flying, so Michi focused on the angle and how much power he had put behind his motion. The quick calculations allwed Michi to estimate the area. Once Medusa was out of his vibration sense, Michi bent the earth ways away before running towards it, feeling the sensations of the battle. He hadn't realized how far away he and Medusa had gotten. The battle felt blocks away.

Michi felt Medusa land hard on the earthen structure, but not burst into dust. His brain worked in overdrive, trying to remember what Nevidebla had said about spoils of war. She said they were nearly impossible to kill if one didn't know about the weak points in the body. The Nemean Lion was its inside, something Caspar had used to his advantage and need to make things explode. Michi remembered how Nevidebla had fought when they were fighting the gorgons, aiming for the midline of their body since they gave vials of blood from each side. Medusa gave her head, meaning her neck had to be the weakest point in her body. Michi had felt that Medusa was protecting her head and neck more so than a normal monster would have.

Michi fell into his ready stance before launching disks of earth at Medusa, battering her around but still feeling she wasn't ready to become dust. He'd have to slice her head off, as clean as possible. He bent the Celestial bronze, making it more blade-like than whip-like before sending it at Madusa. Once it met her neck, Michi felt the vibrations of her head being sliced cleanly off, her body disintegrating into dust, and her head meeting hte pavement with a squelching noise. Gagging, MIchi walked forwards and grabbed one of the dead snakes on Medusa's head. His fingers skimmed over her face, feeling how hideous it was before finding the eyelids and shutting them. Shuddering, Michi pulled his free hand up to the side of his head and clicked it severely times to get Nevidebla's notice.

" _Got the head?_ " Nevidebla asked, gasping slightly.

" _Yeah_ ," Michi said.

" _I'll get the gryphons to fly your way. Wait until I'm behind you to lift the head. Before then, keep the face pressed into your shirt. I know it's disgusting, but it's for my safety_ ," Nevidebla said.

" _Got it_ ," Michi responded, standing in the street. He could hear squawking in the air and feel the battle continuing. Then the squawking roars became closer. Michi remained still, ignoring his instincts to turn around and run. He just had to wait for Nevidebla to be behind him and expose Medusa's head. Those monsters would turn to stone and there would be plenty gone that members of the superheroes could began to dismantled the platforms while the others fought.

A hand on his shoulder let Michi know it was Nevidebla. He turned Medusa's head around and lifted her eyelids while Nevidebla buried her head into his back. Michi knew silence before stones shaped like gryphons fell to the earth, cracking and shattering upon impact. Michi felt his heartrate soar at how close one landed by them, signaling how close they were to being torn to shreds. Once the gryphons stopped falling, Michi bended his Celestial bronze and destroyed Medusa's head. Once it was said and done, the head disintegrating just like the rest of her had, Michi removed his blindfold and tapped Nevidebla on the shoulder.

Nevideble took a step back and stared at the mass of gryphons. Michi almost felt sick at how much there were. His friend had to have been braver than usual to fly away from them with her flying shoes. They piled at least seven feet high and Michi was afraid to know how far they extended. One gryphon's claw had been three hair's breaths away from Michi's face.

"Let's get back to the fight," Michi croaked, staring at the pile of dust that had been Medusa's head.

"I'm happy you destroyed that thing," Nevidebla whispered.

"As am I," Michi responded easily, looking at his friend. "How's the fighting?"

"With the air force basically done, we can send the fliers to help the rest and send those better at technology to dismantle the platforms now. If they haven't done that now," Nevidebla answered. Michi nodded, looking back at the stone gryphons. He could feel the rocky material, but not sense any vibrations of life. He was fine with that.

"Let's go help out," Michi said. Nevidebla nodded and the two were running back towards the fight.

He could feel how long and tiring this day would become.

* * *

Nevidebla jumped back into the fray. Somehow, the stronger heroes managed to defeat the Minotaur, leaving behind Scythian Dracanae, Empousai, and hellhounds to defeat. It was smaller and Nevidebla noted that Batman, Batgirl, Nightwing, and some other heroes who Nevidebla would associate with technology were missing from the frays.

Nevidebla sidled up next to Beast Boy who was attacking a hellhound in panther form. She stabbed her sword into the hellhound's flank, feeling the monster crumble into dust. Her body slowly became calmer, everything was clear, and her arms moved without protest. She blocked claws and fangs, slashed into flanks, stabbed, and monster dust rain down around her. Nevidebla knew she was being covered in the yellow-gold material and her armor was gaining more slash marks to it. She would have to get new armor when she returned, and probably get _proper_ Celesiatl bronze armor. Not the leather substitute she's worn since the Second Titan War.

She cut off an Empousa's head before turning around, stabbing the hellhound that was trying to sneak up on Wonder Girl. Her mind was a mess. She knew the ground was coated in monster dust, that civilians who still resided in the buildings nearby were watching intently from windows, that Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl were destroying monsters quickly with well-placed punches and their lassos, and that monsters were being picked off easier by the flying superheroes. The tides had turned once Michi was able to join the fight. He bended easily and seemed to have settled into the calm that Nevidebla had developed.

She knew the heroes hadn't experienced the calm. Kid Flash was leaning against the wall and the Flash was speeding by with someone on his back. He was probably taking them to a different platform faster. Miss Martian and Martian Manhunter were having monsters dropped with telepathy, Superboy and Superman taking care of the rest. It was a good system, but Nevidebla noted how much they hated the idea of cutting off heads of monsters who looked human enough.

Shaking her head of the thoughts, Nevidebla twirled her sword and stabbed it backwards. She felt the warm, rancid breath of a hellhound wash over her. Nevidebla twisted the sword. The hellhound crumbled into dust, coating her in even more dust. She looked around, seeing the fighting beginning to peter off. Monsters were coming less and those who were injured, Kid Flash sped off to the headquarters. Even Flash seemed to stop transporting heroes to other platforms and help his grandson from the future.

The monsters were gone by the time Nevidebla's arms began to protest. She leaned against a building, taking in deep breaths, sliding down it to sit on the cold pavement. Michi was stretching, doing weird contortions that would have most sick. But Nevidebla had taugth him those contortions, so her face didn't turn as green as Superboy's or one of the Green Lantern's. She felt tired, sick, and ready to start crying. Nevidebla didn't need to be strong anymore. The battle was over with and now she could truly grieve the fact she didn't know what was happening to her friends.

She didn't know a sob had bubbled out of her mouth until Michi stopped his stretching to look at her. He might have been stoic for the most part, but Nevidebla had learned to read him better. Michi was worried about her but also seemed to register he was allowed to grieve and worry about the MIA friends just as much as her. He walked over and sat down beside her. Nevidebla flopped her head on his shoulder, refusing to look at anyone.

"Who first?" Michi whispered.

"I'd have to see if my dreams will let me know what's going on with them," Nevidebla answered softly. Michi didn't respond with words, just nodded and the two descended into silence. Neither wanted to move and none of the heroes reallyl asked them to move as they worked on dismantlement and getting the injured out of the way. Nevidebla was relieved by that, not knowing if she would be able to stay sane if they asked her to help. Her mind was barely keeping back the memories of the wars back home, of seeing faces she recognized in agnozied pain or being leeched of color as death overtook them. She remembered putting golden drachmas in their mouths and helping wrap the body in the burial shrouds. There were so many, their names etched into beads around her neck.

"You're fine," Michi whispered, drawing nevidebla from her dark thoughts. "The heroes are fine. We didn't lost anyone. They're just injured." Nevidebla nodded numbly, head still pressed into Michi's shoulder. "We'll get them back. Just rest."

Nevidebla nodded before drifting off to sleep in the middle of a battle torn city, covered in monster dust.

* * *

 **December 11, 2016  
12:27 EST  
Desaad's Work Room, Apokolips**

Caspar was in the midst of tearing a machine apart when he felt it. Nevidebla was there again, watching him as he worked. His fingers stilled where he was trying to detach a tube with pressurized air in it. He didn't know how to tell her anything so he remained silent, trying to piece his thoughts together.

His plan had started to fall into place. He had enough pieces and gathered anything else he needed already from this machine to complete it. Caspar had finally decided to pay attention to the routes Lashina and Mad Harriet took him on, noticing the tip of his bag peeking around one corner near his cell. He still didn't know where a Father Box was, but it wasn't like Caspar was going to wait around long enough to find that out. As long as he got his bag, Caspar stood a chance. He ah arrows that weren't made for monsters and silver _did_ affect regular beings. With his steel and silver arrows, Caspar would have enough to get him out of there. And he'd have his gloves back, along with his explosive supplies. He had stocked up the last time they had been to a store days ago and had barely used them. Now, the whole of Apokolips would find out why it was a bad idea to hold Caspar Braddock hostage.

It was just sad he had to wait another day to enact his brilliant plan. He would be late for the battle. But he could help his friends win the war enough that it wouldn't matter. All he had to do was uproot the key component in the equation: Desaad and his blueprints. Caspar had learned rather easily that an inventor could never truly replicate something again without a blueprint unless they were incredibly smart. And no matter how Desaad bragged, Caspar knew he wasn't as smart as he declared himself to be. He had noticed how many times he looked at his blueprints, going over the drawings and equations, trying to find his mistake. Caspar could name many but never dared to say anything about it.

"I'll be fine," Caspar finally spoke. "I have a plan to get off and set them back. You guys focus on fighting on Earth. I'll focus here. See you soon, Twinkie."

He felt her presence fade away, though it seemed reluctant. Caspar would swear on his family's graves that he heard a whispered "Carrot-Top" as Nevidebla's dream-self vanished. It felt colder and harsher with her presence gone, the cavernous insides of the machine looking more like a maw filled with more teeth than a shark's. Shaking the images from his head, Caspar worked faster, his fingers flying to tear it apart. They had become black, smeared with oil and soot from his mistakes removing wires. He had given up cleaning them within hours after his first attempt today. Caspar didn't know how Desaad built five completely different ones, but he had and Caspar was on the third one.

His red hair was matted and oily—from his own bodily-produced oils and the oil from the machines. He hadn't washed it since two days before the mission started. Now his scalp itched from how dirty it was, but Caspar was used to that and knew scratching it could be a worse idea. His clothes had gained stains, he had to be re-bandage his wounds after each time he tore a machine apart since he kept opening them, and he had foregone using his crutches after he destroyed the second machine. His body was going to hate him for it, but he would go back to the crutches when he was led back to his cell.

Wiping his face with his jacket in the hot, sweltering inside of the machine, Caspar tore out a motherboard, ignoring the protest his fingers gave as a spark zapped his hand. He snapped it over his uninjured leg, moving onto the next area. Caspar's mind memorized the insides, the way it was built, and the areas bombs could be placed in. But he also took note of any volatile elements within the machine, things that oculd make it explode without a preset bomb within its confines. He found many, and Caspar worked carefully around them, going slower as he disconnected the volatile elements and power sources.

He had, against his better judgement, wrapped the Nemean Lion's jacket around his waist tightly. His shirt sleeves had been removed ages ago to act as bandages, leaving his shirt a little tattered at the top and sleeveless. The injury in his leg complained every step of the way, but Caspar ignored it, reminding himself he'd see to it once the machine was destroyed. His chest twanged every time he put too much force behind tearing something out, making him curl in and hiss.

By the time he was done, Caspar was sore all over, exhaustion pulling at the edges of his mind. But he shoved it to the side, reminding himself he'd done worse over the past days. Tearing apart three machines was nothing. He pulled himself out, and climbed down from the machine, walking over to Desaad's servant. Caspar flopped onto the ground and took the first aid kit, opening it and going to work on his wounds. The bandages were soaked in sweat and the edge of his leg's bandages had been stained with oil. Removing the bandages, Caspar made sure the oil hadn't gotten anywhere close to the wound, but still cleaned it more than usual just encase.

"When do I get to eat?" Caspar rasped out. He felt sticky and Apokolips' natural hot weather was not helping him. Sticky and it seemed like he was about to overheat. "At least give me water."

He was ready to beg for water. But he'd do it in Caspar fashion.

"Why?" Desaad asked pompously. Caspar glared at him, imagining wringing his neck even if he knew he'd probably never follow through with such a notion.

"Do you know the human body and its limitations?" Caspar asked, cocking his head to the side.

"You can survive a month without food and four days without water," Desaad answered with a wave of his hand. "I see no need to grant you either at the moment."

"Yeah, but that's usually when the person isn't doing such strenuous work. I'd give myself another day before dehydration takes over," Caspar said with a shrug, his shoulders burning. Sweat trickled down his face, some drops falling to the floor where it congregated at his chin.

"You still have enough time to complete your work," Desaad answered flippantly.

"When I say another day, I mean by the time I fall asleep and you give it to me tomorrow morning, I might as well be dead," Caspar answered snippily before smirking, cocking his head tiredly at Desaad. "And you still need me. Can't have such a brilliant mind dead when I can still tear those things apart." He could see Desaad narrowing his eyes. Caspar knew what would give him water at the least. "But if I keep working, I might slip for once. But instead of a result you want, I could easily blow this side of the planet sky high. After all, you are using volatile elements in these machines."

He could see Desaad thinking, calculating how much Caspar was saying was true. Despite his defiant and somewhat prideful nature to adversaries, Caspar made himself look weak. It went against all his own instincts, but he needed the water.

"Fetch some water," Desaad ordered. Caspar almsot said thank you, but bit his tongue to keep himself from doing so. Instead, he stayed sititng, focusing on his own breathing and the area in front of him. Some part of him was keeping an eye on Desaad as he moved around. He didn't know when the servant arrived again, holding a pitcher of water with a cup in his other hand, but Caspar had never been so happy to see the bald man. He took the cup of water offered to him and gulped it down thirstily. It wasn't as cold as it could be, but it tasted cooler and sweeter than anything in all of the dimensions. Caspar drank three cups before he got up and made his way to the fourth machine.

He climbed up the side and into the body of the machine. It clicked and clacked softly, whirring noises emanating here and there. Caspar hated how at home he felt within its depths, but he couldn't change it. He had always liked machines. Nevidebla would joke around with him that he had to be a child of Hephaestus and a descendant of Apollo. He would joke right back that she would be the filth infesting the Republic. Of course, he didn't say that when they were still fighting like the Republic and Colonies, but afterwards when she had understood more about his past and about his world.

He missed his friends. It was always worse when he ended up on a different planet within a dimension than them. Before, he usually had dragged along someone else with him. This time, however, it was just him and his own wits. It was lonelier. The weight of being by himself weighed him down worse than when he dragged one of his friends—or all of them that one time—onto a different planet. Way, way worse.

Gritting his teeth against the thoughts, Caspar tore apart the machine viscously. The one good thing about these machines was that it allowed for him to direct his anger onto them. He pulled wires, worked around volatile elements, and destroyed anything that wouldn't explode. The fourth machine was done in record time for him. Caspar climbed out and this time, didn't check his wounds, just stomped to the fifth machine. He was too angry to focus on wounds. Angry at himself and his foolish compullsion around technology.

He was so _stupid_.

It was self-loathing that made him destroy the fifth machine worse than any other machine before it. Everything had to be destroyed but the volatile elements. Caspar beat the interior shell with motherboards and random computers, leaving dents in the sides as things cracked and littered the areas. It was relieving and very therapeutic. He climbed out again, stomped his way to the servant (though that might have been another stupid decision on his part), and sat down heavily. Caspar tore his bandages off, hissing at the pain before cleansing them and wrapping them again. He took the water with a nod and could see Desaad staring at him as if he was some puzzle. And maybe he was. Humans were known to not be as simple as Apokoliptans would like them to be if Caspar went off of Desaad's mutterings.

He had heard many people throughout dimensions say emotions were illogical.

Caspar thought they made perfect sense.

How was he to know if he fucked up? How was he to know if there was another way? How was he to know there was a line he couldn't cross?

Emotions helped him solve the ever important questions in his life. For all his mind power, Caspar learned his emotions and intuition held just as equal contributor to his life. He had seen many times when his friends ignored their emotions and how much it hurt them in the end. Michi ignored it the most, and it had taken him forever to realize they didn't mean him harm or for him to finally relieve himself a burden he didn't know he carried. Danielle had tried to keep her low self-esteem hidden and her self-crippling thoughts to herself. Caspar saw through them. And then there was Nevidebla. Caspar had seen how locked away her emotions were the first time he met her. Grief was the only feeling radiating from her, and even then she had tried to dampen it. He might not have been the one to break her walls down—that was all Danielle—but he got her to remember her feelings when decisions had to be made. Long ago, back when he was twelve, he had learned the lesson of ignoring his intuition and emotions. It had cost him his family, but so had his lack of brain power. From that moment on, Caspar had sworn to strengthen both.

And look how far he had made it!

Most days, he wondered if his family would have been proud of his accomplishments. Then he remembered he had a new family. It was more broken and more riddled with wounds that wouldn't close, but it was still the best thing that had happened to him since he was ten.

Calming down, Caspar gathered his crutches beneath him, his hands slick with sweat and having a tougher time gripping them. He heard Desaad call Lashina in and he didn't jump when she barged in, just hobbled his way over to her. His body was stiff and whining, but he ignored it. As they journeyed down the hallway, he remembered the way. Left, right, past three turnoffs, right, right, another left, past four turnoffs, left, and then a right to the long line of cells. And just a little ways past the cells, he could make out the edge of his duffle bag. That's where he would have to go after tomorrow. When his plan would be put into place.

Until then, Caspar entered his cell to see his dinner and more water had arrived. He sat down and ate as the door closed. Once he knew Lashina nor Mad Harriet would interrupt, Caspar pulled out his machine and worked on it again, eating and drainking in between steps.

He was escaping tomorrow or let him return back to those "labor camps."


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note**

 **I honestly didn't expect myself to get this done as fast as I did, but here it is, chapter sixteen!**

 **This is, I don't know, a late Thanksgiving gift to you guys? Yeah, let's go with that.**

 **Reviews:**

 **lumigo akvo9504: Thank you. I know this chapter will be lacking in action, but hopefully it makes up for it by being a somewhat happy moment.**

* * *

 **SIXTEEN**

 **Danielle's Reunion**

 **December 12, 2016  
17:52 PST  
Hospital Room 423, San Francisco**

Danielle woke up with a start, pain lancing through her entire body. She cringed, holding her sides as she blinked through the pain. An annoying beeping was racing through teh room, overwhelming her ears with the noise. She could smell the chemical cleanness about the room and felt wires entangling her body. There was only one other time she was in a hospital, and that was upon Clockwork's request during a mission when she was severely injured, despite the risk of her ectoplasm being picked up in tests. It hadn't, luckily, but who knew about this world.

Sighing heavily, Danielle leaned back, noting her hospital bed was tilted and piled with a good amount of pillows. It was comfy and she had to wonder why. From what Nevidebla had complained about, the hospital only gave Danielle two, not the tree Nevidebla had used to prop her up better. This was at least five and oh so comfy against her pained body. She looked over at the wires, wondering how much painkiller they were pumping into her system. It wasn't enough, but they probably didn't know how much resistance ectoplasm was to regular drugs and painkillers. Even medicine had adverse effects depending on the ingredients. Take cold syrup for an example. It could easily make her and Danny seem high if they took too much (which was the regular amount to take for an adolescent), but morphine would have little to no effect on them.

It was probably why she wasin so much pain and if it wasn't for her ghostly half, it probably would have been intolerable. Luckily, the ectoplasm was really working, her healing factor returning that it numbed some of the pain like a regular painkiller but was doing little in healing her at her normal pace. It probably was still being restrained.

The door opened, snapping Danielle out of her thoughts. Her eyes snapped to the door to see a discombobulated woman standing in it. Clothes crinkled, brown hair askew, round glasses crooked, and smeared makeup. She had a business woman's attire on and a fairly expensive handbag. Her pumps were held in her hand, manicured nails looking like they had been chewed on and her thumb was nervously spinning her wedding or engagement ring around, the diamond glistening in the harsh lighting.

"It's good to see you awake," the woman spoke happily, walking into the room and sitting down in a chair. "The doctors said it would have been pointless coming in to check on you, but I persisted. And look, it paid off."

"Who are you?" Danielle asked, looking at the woman.

"I'm Margaret Penn," the woman introduced, holding out her hand. Danielle took it softly, cringing only a little at the twinge running down the length of it.

"Danielle Fenton," Danielle responded.

"Such a pretty name," the woman commented.

"Where am I?" Danielle asked.

"San Francisco's leading hospital," Margaret answered with ease.

"Why?" Danielle asked. She could only remember entering the vortex and pain so bad she had passed out almost immediately. Margaret seemed to age in front of Danielle, a sadness settling into her eyes and worry making them glisten. Her thumb increased the rotations of her ring.

"I don't know what happened to you," Margaret stated. Danielle didn't care. She at least knew. "I found you on the street. You were covered in bruises and bleeding, completely out cold. I couldn't just leave you there, so I was able to get you in my car and rushed you to the ER. After that, well, here you are."

"Thank you," Danielle stated.

"It was no biggie," Margert said, waving her hand. "I'm a CEO of a business and I don't mind paying for it."

Danielle wanted to say this was a big biggie. Hospital bills were insanely pricey. An Ace Band-Aid could cost fifty dollars while in a story it could easily be around ten. But she also understood how money looked in different people's eyes. For Margaret, this really wasn't a big deal. For middle class and lower class families, it would be. They would have, if they thought more along the lines of money, had left her.

Danielle finally noticed she was missing her clothes and was wearing a hospital gown. Her eyes widened, wondering what the hospital would think of her rather ... controversial devices.

"Where's my stuff?" Danielle asked, looking around.

"In that box," Margaret said, pointing to a different chair. "I convinced them not to take anything. Everything's there."

"Thank you," Danielle whispered, pulling the box towards her, ignoring her aching muscles. She shifted through the items, noting her clothes had been washed. Then she found her Fenton Phone. Whooping in joy, Danielle almost put it in her ear but looked over at Margaret who was watching her intensely.

"What is that?" she asked.

"An invention of my aunt and uncle's," Danielle answered, fingering the device.

"If you give me names, we can contact them," Margaret said.

"You can't," Danielle stated, fiddling with the notch. "They're dead."

It was a lie that burned her throat and tongue. Just imagining them dead made her eyes prick with tears. Margaret patted her back, trying to soothe her over pain that wasn't real.

"What's that for then?" Margaret asked.

"I use it between me and my friends," Danielle answered. "It's better than a phone because I don't have to pay anyone to use it and way better than a radio since it can transmit anywhere in the world no matter the weather conditions."

"Rather useful," Margaret muttered with a nod. She stood up and softly patted Danielle's head. It took everything in Danielle not to cringe at the contact. A stranger touching her still unnerved her. "You contact them. I'll inform the doctors you're awake."

Danielle nodded and shoved the Fenton Phone into her ear, tapping the side rapidly. Her hand shook and she already felt like crying without hearing her friends' voice.

" _Dani?_ " Michi asked. He sounded groggy and tired, but there was an underlying alertness.

" _I'm in San Francisco's leading hospital. I was not given the name_ ," Danielle said.

" _You're in the hospital!_ " Nevidebla screamed over the Fenton Phones. Danielle cringed at the loud noise.

" _Sensitive hearing, Nevi_ ," Danielle groaned.

" _Sorry_ ," Nevidebla whispered.

" _Did you get here by the vortex?_ " Michi asked.

" _Yeah_ ," Danielle answered.

" _That explains it_ ," Nevidebla sighed heavily.

" _Explains what?_ " Danielle asked, watching the door nervously.

" _Why you're in the hospital_ ," Nevidebla answered, more than likely shrugging. Danielle could hear it.

" _Explain for me_ ," Danielle begged.

" _I came to a conclusion how the vortex works. It has an insane amount of force that a regular human body couldn't take. But a monster's and a ghost's could since monsters dissolve into dust, the vortex could deform them and reform them. A ghost's body is ectoplasm_ — _a substance that's usually liquid_ — _and complete willpower_ ," Nevidebla stated. " _You probably entered as a human, especially considering you have your core cut off. Yes, I know, demigod dreams_." Danielle shut her mouth. She'd have to ask Nevidebla how she does that. " _Anyway, because of that, you wouldn't have immediately dissolved into ectoplasm. You might not have at all but the pain level would have made you passed out, allowing whatever willpower you had and ectoplasm that's working to save you in the long run. How bad are you, anyway?_ "

" _I'm in so much pain_ ," Danielle moaned out, watching the door and crining when she shifted around. She really, really wanted some cold syrup.

" _Too bad they won't give you cold syrup_ ," Nevidebla laughed.

" _No, she does not need to be on that! Remember last time?_ " Michi exclaimed in fright.

" _It wasn't my fault I didn't know_ ," Nevidebla snapped.

" _You could have asked her_ ," Michi countered.

" _She was constantly coughing and was completely out of it. So, I'm sorry I couldn't get anything out of her at the moment about her physiology_ ," Nevidebla snapped. Danielle could just imagine the two exchanging glares at the moment.

" _Break it up or as soon as I see you two again, you both will be put in the Get-Along Shirt_ ," Danielle declared.

" _No, I'll behave!_ " Nevidebla yelped.

" _Please, not again_ ," Michi begged. Danielle laughed. She could hear footsteps approaching.

" _I gotta go. A doctor could come in any moment now. See you guys soon_ ," Danielle said. She didn't wait for a reply, taking the Fenton Phone out and placing it back in the box. She had just pushed the box a little bit away from her when the doctor walked in. The middle-aged man seemed shocked to see her up and moving about. The grip on his clipboard went slack for a moment, said clipboard nearly falling to the ground, but he sorted himself out enough and stood up straighter.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Hoffman," the man said, extending a hand to Danielle though he still seemed rather shaken.

"Danielle Fenton," Danielle answered, shaking his hand in turn. She examined him closer, noting the white doctor's coat and dark blue scrubs. His black hair was greying and his hairline was slowly receding. His forehead was lined and he had smile lines crinkled around his eyes. He had a bushy moustache and bigger than normal ears.

"Now, Mrs. Penn has informed me that you were up, and we can obviously tell that that's true," Hoffman laughed, looking at Danielle's vitals. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Danielle answered somewhat honestly. There was no way she was telling him how badly the pain actually was. She was, after all, supposed to be on morphine.

"Hmm," Hoffman hummed, writing something down on his clipboard. His brown eyes seemed to sharpen as he looked at Danielle, almost pinning her to the spot. "How did this happen?"

Danielle felt herself panic. She couldn't just say she had escaped from her creator in a different world and used an interdimensional vortex to travel here for the sake of some mission. She'd be locked up in an asylum faster than she could say Fenton Works.

"I don't know," Danielle lied. The doctor nodded as he wrote more down on his clipboard.

"Is there anyone I can contact to retrieve you?" Hoffman asked.

"Not anyone with legal to get me out," Danielle answered honestly. Hoffman raised a black eyebrow, silently demanding a better explanation. "I got three friends, all my age. Their parents or foster parents either don't approve of me or don't really care about anything. They wouldn't come."

"Anyway, what are your friends' names?" Hoffman asked, pen poised.

Danielle knew it was dangerous giving out names that couldn't be easily looked up, but she knew her friends would be coming soon enough. Maybe they could even convince someone to act as an old foster sibling or something of the like.

"Michi Yamauchi, Nevidebla Good, and Caspar Braddock," Danielle answered, her breath hitching momentarily on Caspar's name. He was still on Apokolips and the last Danielle had heared, he had been injured on his chest and leg. Nevidebla probably had more information since Danielle had been abducted and hopefully the redhead was doing okay. Danielle squeezed her eyes shut momentarily. There was no way of knowin until she saw either Nevidebla or Michi.

"Would they arrive here anyway?" Hoffman asked.

"I did just contact them. One or two them of should be here. The other one hadn't picked up," Danielle explained.

"Which ones?" Hoffman asked.

"Michi and Nevi," Danielle answered instantly. "I think Caspar might be missing at the moment. He does that sometimes."

Hoffman nodded, looking mildly suspicious, but wrote the information down anyway.

"Get some rest before they arrive then," Hoffman stated, leaving the room easily. Danielle sighed and flopped back onto the pillows, groaning both in pain and bliss. The door opened and Margaret entered, sitting down in the chair.

"You don't mind if I wait here? Doctor Hoffman said that your friends will be here sometime. I wouldn't mind meeting them," Margaret said.

"Okay," Danielle breathed.

"Here, let me turn on the TV. Anything you want to watch?" Margaret asked, picking up the remote and pressing the button to turn the TV on.

"The news," Danielle answered instantly. Margaret raised an eyebrow at the declaration, but did so anyway. The first thing to pop up made Danielle's heart almost stutter to a halt. It was a picture of Manhattan from a bird's eye view. One whole street had a row of waht looked like grey stone somethings covering it, the pile higher than the first floor of the buildings surrounding it and stretching possibly two blocks. There was a rock structure, looking almost like some jagged wave, at the end. A few blocks over, the streets were coated in yellow dust with superheroes fighting off monsters.

"— _massive battle in Manhattan. The Justice League and their sidekicks were able to fight them off and protect Manhattan. There were no casualties, civilian or hero alike. Though there is some property damage and the strange earth structure at the end of_ — _"_

Danielle stopped paying attention to the anchorman.

All she could think about was that there weren't any casualties. Michi and Nevidebla did it, somehow. No one died and they won. She wanted to laugh and cry but just remained frozen in her pillows. The battle was over, but there was still the war. Once Danielle was healed completely, she would start to help in taking out the platforms again. She remembered the way Caspar handled the engines, taking note of everything. And she could turn herself intangible or erect a shield to defend herself against an explosion. Sure, it wouldn't be as efficient as Caspar, but it was better than nothing.

Then there was Caspar. She knew he was the only one who could really stop this considering he was on Apokolips. _How_ the redhead was going to manage it, Danielle didn't know. She did know, however, that he'd fine some magnificent way that would seem highly unreal and completely out there.

She was interrupted from her thoughts as the door banged open. Danielle jumped and looked over, only to be tackled and her vision obscured by platinum blonde curls. She laughed, resisting the urge to moan in pain, as she hugged Nevidebla back. Michi had apparently decided to walk over and sit down in the chair on Danielle's other side after placing her box of possessions on the ground. He smirked before reaching over and jabbing Nevidebla in the side. The blonde squeaked and jumped up, releasing Danielle in the process.

"Michi!" Nevidebla snapped. He just grinned before looking at Danielle.

"Good to see you again," Michi said. "Though I hadn't expected in these circumstances."

"I wish it wasn't in these circumstances," Danielle groaned. Nevidebla sat down on her bed and reached around in her duffle bag. How she managed to convince the hospital staff it was okay, Danielle didn't know nor wanted to know. Nevidebla pulled out a bag of some candy.

"I got you some soft caramel," Nevidebla declared, plopping the bag right next to Danielle who grinned and sat up a little more with Nevidebla helping a bit. She took the bag and began to open it, taking out one of the individually wrapped pieces of caramel.

"You are the greatest," Danielle declared, unwrapping the piece and popping it into her mouth, nearly melting at the taste.

"I know," Nevidebla declared, finally looking over at the woman. "Who are you?"

"Margaret Penn," the disheveled woman answered, extending her hand.

"Nevidebla Good but I prefer Nevi," Nevidebla supplied before motioning a thumb towards Michi. "That's Michi."

"Do you have an adult with you?" Margaret asked, looking around.

"A friend of my mom's is talking with the doctor and receptionist," Nevidebla answered instantly. "He wants to get Dani here moved to Central or Keystone since it's closest to home."

Danielle was confused. Who was this person? She looked over at Michi for help since she didn't want to interrupt Nevidebla's lie. Michi mouthed _Flash_ before reaching over for one of Danielle's caramel. She smacked his hand away, holding the bag closer to her chest. Michi chuckled silently. Without even stopping her tale, Nevidebla reached into her bag and pulled a different bag of candy out, tossing it to Michi.

"Will he be coming up anytime soon?" Margaret asked, bringing Danielle back into the conversation and not silently glaring at Michi for trying to take her candy.

"He could be," Nevidebla nodded. "But then again, hospital stuff strangely enough takes so long, it's annoying."

"Espeically with him," Michi retorted.

"Shut up you," Nevidebla snapped, reaching over Danielle to smack him upside the head.

"I'll go see what's taking him so long, then," Margaret said. "What does he look like?"

"Blond hair, blue eyes, has this fun guy demeanor, and he might be a little jittery," Nevidebla answered. Once the door was closed, Nevidebla relaxed. "Phew, that was a little hard."

"What? Lying to her?" Michi asked, putting a piece of chocolate in his mouth before handing a shiny, green wrapped one to Nevidebla.

"She's just got one of those faces that warns liars to either be insanely good or just tell the truth," Nevidebla shuddered, eating the piece of chocolate.

"Have you had dreams on Caspar?" Danielle asked, steering the conversation off track.

"Yeah," Nevidebla sighed heavily.

"What's he doing?" Danielle asked.

"They're using him as a test subject so they can improve the platforms. Once they find a design that Caspar can't exploit in anyway, they're going to replace them all with that design. But Caspar has a plan. He said he should be back soon, a day or two. Maybe less."

"But will he also be stopping them from creating these anymore?" Danielle asked.

"He wouldn't leave if he couldn't," Michi answered easily. "It's not Caspar's way."

"How?" Danielle asked. Nevidebla shrugged helplessly.

"I got nothing," Nevidebla answered.

"It could be worse," Michi stated, "we could know nothing about what's going on with him."

Danielle nodded in agreement, eating another piece of caramel.

"Why the Flash?" Danielle asked suddenly.

"Originally, I tried to convince Nightwing or Batman—especially Batman—but they both refused because of their secret identities," Nevidebla stated.

Michi snorted. "You forgot to mention how pissed Batman was when you said you knew his identity and whispered it to him."

Danielle laughed at that.

"Yeah, yeah," Nevidebla sighed, waving her hand around dismissively. "Anyway, Flash was there and volunteered. He said if I already knew Batman's identity, I already knew his so he really shouldn't be worried if I hadn't told anyone yet. Besides, I guess it would be suspicious if we had someone like Bruce Wayne or Richard Grayson coming in here to transfer you to a different city."

"He does fit the bill of a regular dude just watching out for a family's friend's child's friend," Michi said with a nod. Danielle snorted at the description and Nevidebla coughed back a laugh.

"How'd the battle go?" Danielle asked, waving her hand at the news that was winding down the fight. Apparently the next story was on some dog rescuing a kid from the ocean. A nice story to follow such a devastating thing like a battle in Manhattan.

"It was hard," Nevidebla answered with a jerky nod.

"I had to handle Medusa," Michi stated, eating more chocolate and handing pieces to Nevidebla. Danielle continued to eat some of her soft caramel. "It was harder than expected until I remembered what Nevidebla had explained about monsters who give spoils of war."

"Ah," Danielle answered with an exaggerated nod.

"After that, I led the gryphons to Michi who used Medusa's head to turn them to stone before destroying the head," Nevidebla stated. "With the aerial monsters down, the superheroes who could fly immediately focused their attacks on the rest of the monsters. It wasn't that long, actually. Mabye four hours. Five? We ended a little past lunchtime, that's all I really remember. And us two slept right afterwards, so we didn't wake up until around seven at night."

"That's when we really started to talk. Nevidebla said you were in the Ghost Zone from her dreams, so we really couldn't do anything but wait for you to contact us," Michi said, waving his hand around. "I did not expect this to be honest."

"None of us did," Danielle stated.

"Then we talked about Caspar. Michi wasn't really happy about the whole idea of not helping Caspar out, but what can we do?" Nevidebla asked rhetorically.

"Nothing," Danielle deadpanned followed by a sigh. "So what do we do to help the heroes?"

"All we can do is help them sweep through cities and destroy these platforms and help fight any monsters that do appear," Nevidebla answered.

"We were hesitant to do so, wanting a break," Michi stated with a heavy groan, "but we decided we might as well. Today we basically covered all of Oregon and Washington."

"It's why we got here so easily. We were just finishing up the last city in Oregon when you contacted us," Nevidebla continued.

"And that's where you tried, and failed, to convince Nightwing or Batman to help us," Danielle said with a nod.

"And where the Flash overheard us and volunteered," Michi added on.

Danielle was about to ask another question about Caspar before the door opened and in walked a blond man with blue eyes. He was grinning widely and Danielle could somewhat make out his muscular figure. It was somewhat hidden by a blue polo shirt and khaki pants.

"Hey, Barry," Nevidebla siad, waving her hand enthusiastically.

"Hey," Barry laughed, sitting down in the seat Margaret had vacated, looking at Danielle. "How you feeling?"

"This morphine's doing nothing," Danielle groaned.

"I'd offer you cold syrup, but I don't have any," Nevidebla stated. Barry raised an eyebrow.

"Ghostly physique. Even with a good deal of my powers still cut off—along with shifting into my ghost form—most drugs have little to no effect on me," Danielle sighed. "But regular medicine, like cold syrup, can make me as high as cocaine."

Barry laughed at that, shaking his head. Then he grew serious. "Your powers are cut off?"

"Mostly my entire ghostly self," Danielle answered honestly, gesturing to her battered body. "I've been slowly destroying the blocks of my ectoplasmic flow, but it's going slow. I have my intangibility, invisibility, and ecto-manipulation back, but that's it. I do have some healing, but obviously it's not going very fast. I also discovered I have heightened senses, which are also back. But my flying, ghostly body, the full capacity for my healing factor, and the ability to use different powers at the same time are still cut off."

"That sucks," Barry summed up.

"It also changed your vitals," Nevidebla pointed out, her forefinger pointing to the machines surrounding Danielle. "I don't have to use the Mist to make these show a regular human's vitals. Sure, your temperature is slightly below average, but not too startlingly to make doctors and nurses believe you have hyperthermia. And your heartbeat is a little lower but that can be put off as a pre-existing heart problem that some do have."

"Thank Clockwork," Danielle sighed heavily. Then Danielle sat up, looking at Michi excitedly. "I almost forgot."

"What?" Nevidebla asked, her mood instantly becoming as excited as Danielle's.

"I discovered some awesome things about my ecto-manipulation," Danielle laughed, holding her hand out. She stopped and looked over at the door. "Um, Barry, do you think you could, ya know?"

Barry grinned and blurred. Danielle blinked, barely seeing him leave the chair before he was back. "All clear."

Danielle had a regular ecto-blast form. Nevidebla didn't seem impressed nor Michi, though Barry seemed intrigued by her display of power. Then she imagined the fire, it shifted to look like green hellfire engulfed her hand. Nevidebla wheeled backwards, falling off the bed. Michi shot to his feet, his chair clattering to the floor. Barry's eyes widened, but he was taking it better than her friends. Nevidebla got to her feet, grinning widely.

"Michi was wrong!" Nevidebla sant at the top of her lungs and sounding awfully like a ghostly pterodactyl, skipping around the room. "Michi was wrong! Michi was wrong!"

Michi looked ready to blow a gasket.

"Actually," Danielle spoke, drawing attention back to her. The ectoplasmic fire morphed into bright green liquid before Danielle controlled it to be suspended in the air around them. She smirked at their gob-smacked faces. "Michi was kinda right."

Michi recovered the fastest, spinning on his good leg to point at Nevidebla in triump, "Ha!"

Nevidebla stuck her tongue out in retaliation. Danielle started to laugh, feeling so relieved to be surrounded by her friends. She let the water dispel itself, and just in time as Hoffman walked back into the room to see a sight. Michi had decided to retaliate to Nevidebla's tongue sticking out by trying to get her in a headlock. Danielle was still laughing as Barry tried to split them up. She could barely catch her breath at the scene.

"Get-Along ... Shirt," Danielle gasped out.

"What? No!" Nevidebla cried.

"Come on!" Michi exclaimed. Danielle kept laughing, looking at her box to realize, nope, she did not have the shirt.

"When we get back," Danielle ammended smirking mischievously.

"Oh, we had it then," Nevidebla stated, blinking slowly as she stopped struggling. Michi rolled his eyes as Barry let them go, looking over at Hoffman.

"So how are we transferring her?" Barry asked.

"Actually, considering her state, I think she's fine to actually be discharged," Hoffman answered honestly, looking at Dnaielle. "She made a remarkable recovery in such a short time." No one decided to say antying. Hoffman just nodded, staring them quizzically before shaking his head, checking his clipboard. "I can have painkillers prescribed and sent to the pharmacy you use in Central City, Mr. Allen. Danielle here would just have to take them every twelve hours and it's only one pill. Other than that, she has a severely sprained ankle and her knee on the same limb underwent hyperextension. She'll have to use crutches until both are healed. The sprain won't take long, but the knee should take approximately a month or two for complete healing. After that, she should undergo physical therapy to make sure everything is functioning. That also shouldn't take long."

"Thank you, Doctor Hoffman," Barry said, extendign his hand out to the doctor, who shook it.

"No problem, Mr. Allen," Hoffman answered in kind.

It wasn't long for Danielle to be out of the bed, dressed in her clothes from before, had all her gear strapped to her, and had crutches underneath her armpits. Nevidebla had snorted at the sight of her with them, then started to curse after Danielle kicked her in the shin. Michi chuckled at the display as Barry rolled his eyes, smirking. Danielle honestly didn't know how they were getting out of San Francisco. Was barry going to superspeed the away, back to the Young Justice Headquarters? Or were they going to go by Zeta beam?

Once they walked out of the hospital and made their way into the parking lot, Barry revealed his ultimate plan. Danielle blinked at the Green Lantern floating in front of them, his black and green suit looking mildly like one of the Fenton's jumpsuits. Danielle hobbled over with Michi behind her and Nevidebla by her side, opening up soft caramels and feeding them to Danielle as she told jokes and just spoke about random things.

"Hey Hal," Nevidebla stated, waving her hand excitedly. Danielle laughed and started to choke on her candy at the Green Lantern's shocked face. Michi pounded on her back, helping her dislodge the sticky piece.

"Barry!" the Green Lantern—now known as Hal—exclaimed to the disguised speedster in the group.

"I didn't tell her," Barry laughed, looking highly amused.

"You can take her back," Hal snapped. "I'll take these two."

"Aw, is someone mad?" Nevidebla taunted.

"Don't push it," Hal snapped. Nevidebla stuck her tongue out again. "Is it bad if I fight her?"

"Yes," Michi deadpanned.

"Though it would be interesting," Barry submersed.

"It would be one hell of a fight," Danielle added on with a nod, smirking at the mental image in her head. Oh, she'd love to see Hal's face in real life once he discovered that Nevidebla was almost a master illusionist.

"I'd beat him," Nevidebla stated confidently.

"No, I'd beat you," Hal argued, pointing a finger at Nevidebla. Danielle was kind of getting annoyed, no matter how interesting a fight would be.

"You two can fight when we return," Danielle pointed out. "But if you do it here, I'll put both of you in the Get-Along Shirt for three days straight."

"You monster!" Nevidebla cried, leaping behind Michi. "Be my shield."

"You have a shield," Michi poitned out.

"Be my _human_ shield," Nevidebla amended.

"Heck no," Michi proclaimed, dislodging himself from Nevidebla. "I was already that yesterday."

Nevidebla huffed in annoyance.

"Break it up," Danielle sighed heavily, looking at the heroes. "Can we get going? Please?"

Hal nodded, forming a disc of green energy. Michi hopped on first, helping Danielle onto it even though she didn't need it. Nevidebla made a whooping sound and hopped onto Barry's back. Said man stumbled at the sudden intrusion of privacy but went with it, speeding away in a blur. Hal lifted the disc up and they started to fly across the United States. Danielle sat down on the disc and Michi joined her.

"How'd you guys hold up?" Danielle asked, knowing Hal was overhearing them.

"Not so good," Michi answered.

"How bad?" Danielle asked.

"A day before the battle, Nevi kept questioning on if we could do it," Michi answered immediately. "I admit I might have closed myself off more than usual and I'm pretty sure Nevi almost went into an episode after the fight."

"Damn," Danielle whispered.

"That's just the major points," Michi said.

"I ... I don't want to know, honestly. You two know and can go to each other then," Danielle said. Yes, she was curious, but she also knew how hard it was for the two to open up if someone wasn't there to witness it with them. Michi and Nevidebla could easily talk to one another now and help relieve whatever stress and worry had been placed on them through each other.

Michi nodded in understanding.

The rest of the ride was in silent except for a few jokes exchanged between the three of them. One joke Danielle told had Hal lose concentration, causing Michi and Danielle to plummet for a moment. Usually, Danielle would have been calmed if that happened, but her ghostly half still cut off, she had panicked just as much as anyone else. Even though she had the hover board, in her current condition there was no way she'd be able to ride it at all. Luckily, Hal had caught them on a different disc before they met the earth below them. After that incident, jokes were banned from the discussion topics.

They arrived back at the Headquarters sometime around nine, nearing ten. Danielle was confused until she remembered time zones. The three landed near the entrance, the disc dispersing once Danielle and Michi were standing. Hal nodded as the hangar opened and Nevidebla jumped out, looking absolutely disheveled. Her hair was even more tangled, her eyes bright and glittering, and her whole body quaked with energy.

"I see superspeed has some interesting effects on you," Danielle joked, hobbling over on her crutches. Nevidebla nodded, looking more ecstatic than Danielle had ever seen, along with severely energized. She was hopping around them as they walked to the living room. Danielle was trying to keep up with her jibber, but was making no sense of it at all. Nevidebla was just talking too fast to be understandable.

They made it to the living room section and Danielle was tackled into a hug by a little green boy. She stumbled momentarily, cringing in pain, and Michi had to put a hand on her shoulder to keep her upright. Once she was righted, Daielle patted Beast Boy's head of forest green hair. He pulled away and grinned widely at her.

"It's good to have you back," Beast Boy stated.

"It's good to be back," Danielle answered honestly, ruffling his hair. The other members of Young Justice got up to greet Danielle again, Miss Martian being the first to lead Danielle to the couch to sit down. Nevidebla cartwheeled her way over, flipping onto the armrest to perch on it while Michi sat down on her other side.

"Where were you?" Nightwing asked as the rest of the team gathered around Danielle in the living room. Beast Boy shifted into a cat and rested himself on Danielle's lap. She almost kicked him away. Danny had told her Vlad had a cat and she wouldn't be surprised if he loved it more than he had ever fake-loved her. But she restrained the impulse and patted Beast Boy softly.

"In my world," Danielle sighed softly.

"Why?" Bart asked immediately. Danielle felt herself closing herself off. Nevidebla nudged her, causing her to look at her blonde friend. She motioned with her hazel eyes to just speak. Danielle glared. Nevidebla jerked her head their way. Rolling her eyes, Danielle decided it couldn't hurt. After all, didn't Nevidebla mention one of them was a clone, too?

"My creator wanted to hold me hostage," Danielle stated.

"Why did Vlad want to do that?" Nevidebla asked bluntly.

"Apparently Danny's going to be crowned King of the Ghost Zone, but he could pass it on to anyone so Vlad was using me as his means of achieving it," Danielle summed up. Nevidebla squeaked a little, shifting around on the armrest before falling off with a thud. Danielle laughed as Michi smirked. Nevidebla got up and glared at the two.

"Not funny. I was shocked," Nevidebla huffed, resuming her perch on the armrest. "Does Danny know you're here?"

"Him and Jazz," Danielle answered.

"What do you mean creator?" Superboy asked, interrupting the conversation for a moment.

"I'm a clone," Danielle stated bluntly, fiddling with her hoodie's pocket. "Just a really messed up one considering I'm supposed to be a guy."

"What?" Nightwing spluttered.

"Halfas are really hard to clone," Danielle answered with a shrug. "Vlad didn't realize that. I was the only one who was the most stable and complete. If it wasn't for Danny about two years ago, I'd be a puddle of ectoplasm. He helped to stabilize me with one of his parents' inventions."

"Who were you cloned from?" Superboy asked.

"We refer to each other as cousins, so basically my cousin Danny," Danielle answered, shrugging nervously. "He's a hero in my world named Danny Phantom, though most just call him Phantom. Vlad, my creator, is his archenemy and blah-blah-blah, we all know where that leads."

She could see them blink and acceptance take over. It was a relief for Danielle.

"Now, can I sleep? Technically, I was in a coma," Danielle asked. The heroes nodded, Nightwing commenting that it was late and everyone needed some rest. Nevidebla put Danielle's crutches on the ground before crawling up to the top of the couch. Michi situated himself in the center of the couch. Danielle followed after them, curling into a tight ball, her back leaning against Michi. The only thing she changed was extending her injured leg out some more for elevation purposes.

She felt comfortable and safe with her friends by her, though her hand felt like a foot should be there. Caspar always had his feet there and she loved waking him up by tickling them mercilessly. Once she saw the redhead again, she was hugging the daylights out of him. The worry she felt the first time he went missing intensified itself right then. Now that she was away from Vlad and with her friends, she could worry about what Caspar was going through even more intensely. It hadn't set in until now. Michi had a little more time to adapt and Nevidebla was known for quickly adjusting, but Danielle was thrust with the weight of all the knowledge Nevidebla had gathered on Caspar as soon as she saw the blonde.

Usually, she'd be lucky to fall asleep. Earlier during the mission, the only reason she had was because of sleep deprivation. Now, it was still the same, but her body demanded sleep so her little amount of healing factor could function faster with the rejuvenation that sleep naturally provided. Sighing heavily, shfiting a little to gain more comfort, Danielle shut her eyes to fall asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note**

 **This is the last chapter. So within a month, there will be a last author's update to answer questions in previous comments and respond to any last ones posted on this story. It will also inform you guys what crossover category the next story of the Clockwork's Apprentices series will be under, because I have decided from this moment to the last time I've updated that, yes, I am so continuing on with this idea. I've loved writing this and my mind is whirring with ideas for stories after this that I can't just stop with this one story.**

 **Reviews:**

 **lumigo akvo9504: Thank you. I didn't really know about that chapter but I am happy I kept it like it was. The story did need a little more fluffy moments between these characters in my opinion.**

* * *

 **SEVENTEEN**

 **Caspar's Grand Escape & Returning Home**

 **December 13, 2016  
19:28 EST  
Desaad's Work Room, Apokolips**

Caspar was sweating bullets again. This machine was tricky and he knew Desaad had spent all his time yesterday reallly working out the kinks. It had aggravated Caspar. His plan was ready to go and he had to put it off a day because of some mad genius's need for a whole day to work on something. Two days ago he hadn't needed a whole day to make five. Why did he need more than a day to make this thing?

Caspar knew why. This thing was completely genius, everything changed and mixed up. It was taking him a little bit longer to dismantle. That is, if that was his goal. Caspar could see the ways he could easily dismantle it. They were there and obvious. No, he was rigging it to explode while seeming to be off at the same time. He needed to wait until he was taken out of Desaad's work room and walking down the halls. So he had to time everything properly, which was highly unpredictable. He could only spare seconds from when he was out of the room to when Lashina and Mad Harriet had him make the first turn. Too soon, and Caspar could be caught in the explosion. Even with the Nemean Lion's jacket, his legs were still exposed. He didn't need either more injured than his already injured leg.

Caspar wiped his forehead and tore at the bottom, going for the second engine. With the first one rigged, the explosion would be contained in Desaad's work room easily. But if _both_ were rigged, it would also blow apart the hallway. Caspar wanted that. The metal wall would provide enough of a buffer for him and Lashina or Mad Harriet would also be in the way. After that, he'd just have to deal with the other. At least he knew what was happening and could prepare himself mentally for the chaos. Those two would be disoriented enough that Caspar could knock them out cold. Following that, he'd run into Desaad's work room and initiate the rest.

All he had to do was get past Phase 1 and 2, and Caspar would be in the clear.

Those were also the trickiest.

He connected the wires, twisted and crossed them. The tubes of volatile elements were slowly rerouted to different areas, perfectly set to be timed accordingly once Desaad pressed the button to activate it. Some even precisely set to either let out drops, trickles, or rushes of the elements. Caspar's fingers quaked after he finished, letting his nerves and fears show before he was moving on, becoming steady as he worked. At least his body understood the importance of what he was doing and knew to be steady when it mattered. He guessed he had twenty seconds to be in the hallway after Desaad pressed the button to activate it. Twenty seconds was enough time, it should be, and Caspar would make sure. He would count them in his head. He could easily count seconds right on the dot.

Once he was done, Caspar slowly climbed out, making his way through both engines carefully, for once grateful his shoes had also been confiscated when he was taken. If he still wore his clunky boots, he might have stepped on something to set up the bomb way earlier than expected. Caspar had never felt so exhilarated and fearful than at that moment. He had never been inside of something he had rigged into a bomb. His eyes tracked the wires and tubes, watched the motherboards blink, heard the machine click and whir, and smelled it still slightly alive. But it was the best bomb he had ever reconfigured from a machine and it would explode gloriously. No matter the outcome, Caspar was going to label this as one of his greatest feats in bomb construction he had managed.

Even to his dying breath.

Caspar climbed out and slithered down the side. His crutches were underneath his armpits and he hobbled over to Desaad, standing next to him and his servant. That was another thing Caspar realized yesterday. It was the only good thing that came out of yesterday. He had to take care of the servant, too. Luckily, he had been overzealous the day before in gathering parts that he had enough for a second machine.

Desaad pressed a button, looking smug, as if he already expected Caspar to have failed. The machine made a clicking noise but nothing happened. Sneering, he whirled on Caspar, looking ready to kill. This was not supposed to happen.

 _Twenty ... nineteen ... eighteen ..._

"Tell me how you do it," Desaad sneered.

 _Seventeen ... sixteen ... fifteen ..._

"I'm special," Clockwork stated, acting like he hadn't had a care in the world when in reality, he was panicking.

 _Fourteen ... thirteen ... twelve ..._

"It takes more than just being _special_ to destroy my machines so efficiently," Desaad snarled.

 _Eleven ... ten ... nine ..._

"I'm also lucky?" Caspar said, it sounding more like a desperate question.

 _Seven ... six ... five ..._

Desaad was opening his mouth but Caspar wasn't hearing anymore. The seconds were winding down.

 _Four ..._

Caspar dropped his crutches.

 _Three ..._

His jacket was already zipped up. He pulled his hood up.

 _Two ..._

Desaad looked confused. Caspar crouched down, drawing his jacket over his legs, tucking his feet as far as they would go into it.

 _One ..._

For a moment, there was blissful silence.

"What are—?" Desaad began, but was broke off by the resounding _BOOM_ that shook through the room. Caspar buried his head into his knees, his arms and hands hidden beneath the jacket as he put them over his head. He remembered Nevidebla's talk about keeping a relaxed body during situations like this. It let his bones work better in making sure they didn't break and keep him safe at the same time. That was hard, but Caspar managed as he was blown from his crouched position, tumbling head over ass again and again.

When he was done, he was slightly disoriented. He got up, his feet on hot metal that he was jumping around to not burn them. Looking across the destruction he had wrought, Caspar saw Desaad was missing an arm and leg, blood spilling out. Cringing, Caspar walked over slowly and placed a microchip on Desaad's forehead. Even if he survived, the memories of his inventions would be wiped. And nothing could be retrived from the chip. As soon as everything was collected, it would self-destruct.

Caspar hopped over to the servant, seeing he had been knocked out but luckily wasn't bleeding. At least, or what Caspar could see. For all he knew, the servant was suffering from internal bleeding. Caspar placed the other chip on his head and looked over at Lashina and Mad Harriet. He first saw Lashina, knocked out and bleeding from a gash in her side. She'd live. Mad Harriet, however, had her skull caved in and her maniac eyes staring listlessly at the opposite wall. Caspar cringed. Ultimately, he killed someone. Sure, it was obvious Mad Harriet was more than likely a sadist, but she was still a person. No one was meant to die. But then again, what do you expect from a bomb? It was an unpredictable explosion. Caspar didn't know the elements well enough or how big of an explosion they could cause.

Now he was making excuses.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Caspar raced over to Desaad's computers and blueprints. Caspar immediately hacked his system, deleting every single file and wiping the memory card before he destroyed the computer itself. Then he was throwing blueprints into the fires loitering in the air, infesting the already sulfuric air with smoke. Caspar pulled his bloodstained shirt up over his nose and mouth as he worked. Once he was done, he was out of the area and racing to where the cells were. His feet hurt and he had a feeling he had received first degree burns at the best, somewhere between second and third at the worst.

He followed the twisting paths until he saw the entrance to the cells. Caspar rushed past, entering the area he had seen the corner of his bag. No one was there, but Caspar had a feeling it wouldn't be like that for long. He pulled on his boots after seeing that his feet had received somewhere between first and second degree burns. There was no time to wrap them, so he prayed his cleanest pair of socks were sufficient enough. Caspar pulled his gloves on and took out his bow, strapping the silver arrows to his waist that Nevidebla had given him.

He was ready.

Caspar rushed out after that, running down the hallways. When he heard running guards and medics, he slipped into different hallways. There was no way of knowing where the Father Boxes were. Steeling his nerves, Caspar began to open doors. No one was in the first few, but when he opened the next door, he was greeted with the sight of Vandal Savage. Caspar shut the door immediately and rushed off, hearing the thunderous yell of the man. His feet hurt and his grip on his bow could strangle a man with how tight it was.

He knew he was being followed by Savage. Taking an arrow out, Caspar notched it and checked behind him as he skidded around a corner into a different hall. He was two yards behind him and looked to be gaining. Caspar knew where to aim. He pulled the string back and spun around to run backwards. His calculations for aiming happened in less than a blink of the eye. Then his hand released the arrow. Caspar turned around, not bothering to see if it hit its mark. Savage's howl of pain told him that he had hit his knee.

Caspar kept opening dors, finally finding an area containing Father Boxes. The bad news was the guards in the room. Caspar immediately unleashed two arrows unto the nearest one, ducking behind a shelf when the others began to shoot at him. It was a mad house in Darkseid's palace, that's all that Caspar knew. Notching another arrow, Caspar aimed between the shelves and items at one of the guards. His armor allowed for a small crack to appear in his side. If it wasn't for his cover, Caspar would have worried about not being able to hit it. Once the guard was beginning to turn so Caspar could easily hit it, he estimated where it would in the next few seconds, aimed, and fired. The cry that followed let Caspar know he had hit home.

The other guard began to shoot widely, guarding the Father Boxes behind him. Caspar notched another arrow and aimed for the hands. It would be painful, but the guard could easily live from the wound. Caspar unleashed the arrow and watched the silver sink into the hands, making the guard howl in pain. Caspar ran out of his hiding spot, snatching a Father Box. As a last minute decision, Caspar gathered the arrows he shot in the room, ignoring the blood staining them.

Then he was out of the room, randomly pressing buttons again. But it felt right the sequence he was putting in as he thought about Earth: wonderful, crazy Earth with air that didn't reek of rotten eggs and had a whole lot more oxygen. When he pressed the bigger button, a portal opened up. Caspar didn't hesitate to leap in. Even if it didn't lead to Earth, the end result had to be better than Apokolips.

The stretching feeling overtook him again. It was hard to breathe, but not as bad as the first time now that he was prepared for the pain. He was twisting and turning, head over heels, and golden yellow overtook his vision. Then he was spat out onto the concrete, rolling over his shoulders until he came to a halt. Caspar struggled to his feet.

The air was clean. That was the first thing to register. He could breathe in oxygen and smell how clean it was, though there was an underlying stench of filty streets. But it didn't matter! It was cleaner than Apokolips. Once Caspar was standing, he looked around to realize he was in an alleyway, buildings at least three stories high on either side of him. Looking to his left, he could see the end to the alley on one side and the right had a closer exit. Stumbling his way to the exit, Caspar's body finally lost some of his adrenaline so he felt all the pain. His feet screamed, his leg howled, and his chest burned.

He barely paied them heed. He was free and that was all that mattered at the time. Once Caspar was out of the alley and walking along the streets, he searched his bag. He knew Lashina and removed his Fenton Phone and thrown it into his bag. His hand clamped around it and Caspar put it into his ear. He watched his surroundings as he pressed the notch and switched the dial. There was nothing. Not even static. It was broken.

Sighing heavily, Caspar began loking at the store names, trying to find a hardware store, or anywhere that he could get his hands on wires and small malware. It wasn't long before he stumbled upon a rather rundown-looking building with the sign blinking to showcase Terrance's Hardware Store. Caspar walked in, ignoring the strange look he received from the employee behind the cash register. He knew he looked awful, but he also looked the part of insane mechanic looking for parts he quickly ran out of. The oil was enough to prove that.

He was walking down the aisles, looking at each item in turn. For some reason, he wasn't in that much of a rush. Just being back on Earth was enough for him to relax and think things clearer now. His next action was to get the Fenton Phone running, find an open cafe, charge his tablet, contact his friends, and go from there. Maybe eat at the cafe. He did have enough money to buy some things from the hardware store with the cheap prices and semi-great quality items. Caspar picked out some malware and wires and headed to the front of the building to pay.

He paid quickly, ignoring the inquiring questions the employee asked him. The best he replied with was some project for his robotics class. That seemed reasonable to the person so Caspar was let off the hook. He took his purchase and went back out into the night. Finding some place to eat would be nearly impossible. Maybe it was best if Caspar just entered the nearest McDonalds. It was a guarantee that place was open at whatever time of night it was.

Caspar found a restaurant open. It wasn't a cafe or a McDonalds, but it would do. He entered the place, bough food at the counter, and sat down at the table near an outlet. He plugged his tablet in before inhaling his food. Once his food was gone, spoon scraping against the bowl for every last drop of the thick stew, Caspar went to work on the Fenton Phone. He pulled it apart with ease, fingers working efficiently and quickly to tear at the frayed wires and replaced the burnt malware with the new purchases. Placing it into his ear, being conscious enough to hold his hand just right so it seemed like he was holding a small, crappy phone that was hard to see. He pressed the button.

" _Guys?_ " Caspar whispered, hoping and praying. There was a little static so it had to be good, right?

" _Caspar?_ " a voice responded, sounding tired and worn, but all around Michi-like.

" _Carrot-Top!_ " Nevidebla screamed over the Fenton Phones. " _Dammit, we missed you_."

" _Missed you, too_ ," Caspar sighed out.

" _Where are you?_ " Danielle asked. Even if the wording seemed callous, Caspar could hear the anxious energy. He felt like crying. Just to hear their voices was a blessing in disguise for his sanity.

" _Uh, hold on_ ," Caspar said, pulling his tablet close to him and tapping across the screen. It began to glow and pulled up the map of the Earth. Caspar had it zoom in and snorted at the irony. " _Philadelphia_."

" _The place this truly all began_ ," Nevidebla snorted in response.

" _The irony, it's killing me_ ," Danielle overdramatized, her words leaking so much sarcasm it could drown a man.

" _How are you holding up?_ " Michi asked.

" _I'll be a lot better when I can actually hug you guys_ ," Caspar answered honestly.

" _Did you make sure they can't replicate these again?_ " Danielle asked, getting ready for business, the leader side of her coming through. Caspar grinned at the tone. He really missed them.

" _Wiped Desaad's memories, along with his servant's, destroyed the blueprints, and kind of blew up anything that could give a hint. And yes, I did take into account Desaad could still replicate the damn things if he was smart enough. Thing is, is the guy's slightly above average. Despite his boasts, the guy cannot replicate or improve something without blueprints_ ," Caspar rattled off. " _So, yeah, I'm pretty sure I got everything handled_."

" _We'll be there shortly_ ," Danielle said over the Fenton Phones.

" _I'll meet you guys at the first platform we took apart_ ," Caspar said, picking up his bag and unplugging his charger. " _See you soon_."

" _You too, Carrot-Top_ ," Nevidebla responded.

" _Can't wait to see you again_ ," Michi stated.

" _I'm hugging the snot out of you_ ," Danielle declared before the conversation ended.

Caspar smiled happily, making his way out of the restaurant, limping along the sidewalk to the dismantled platform. It might not be the end tonight. There was still plenty to do in this dimension. The only question was if they were needed to enact the changes that needed to happen or would these superheroes have it handled. The only way to acquire the knowledge was when Clockwork let the signal on the stopwatches turn on, letting them know to open the portals to the Tower.

He reached it within moments, somehow his feet knowing the exact root. Once he found the cold metal, a layer of snow covering it, Caspar felt like crying. He limped over, cleared off a spot, and sat down in the blistering cold. It was strange to feel snow and cold after being trapped so long on a place that felt like a sauna every minute. Caspar wrapped his arms around his body, shoving his hands into his armpits. He stared listlessly down at the street. He barely heard the racing feet approaching him.

Caspar snapped his head up just in time for his vision to be covered by blonde curls. His hands were shaking as he grabbed onto Nevidebla. His sister across dimensions cried on his shoulder as he did to her own. He barely registered more arms circling around him. There were more sobbing noises and more tears and the strange noise of something clattering uselessly to cold concrete.

When they pulled away, Caspar was able to examine his friends.

Nevidebla's hazel eyes were red and puffy now. She looked more tired than the last time Caspar had seen her, but the biggest smile overtook her face. The blonde was literally _bouncing_ in place with happy energy. All in all, Caspar would say Nevidebla hadn't changed enough to initiate a call for concern.

Michi finally looked tired. Caspar could make out the beginnings of bags beneath his grey eyes and his shoulders slouched just enough that it was becoming much more prominent. There were very faint tear tracks down his cheeks, which floored Caspar. Only one other time had Michi cried in front of them, and that was when he explained about his dad cutting off his leg for the first time. But he also had a smile predominating his face like Nevidebla, letting Caspar calm down enough to know these were happy tears. Sure, he was still bamboozled by the whole tears thing, but it was relieving to know they weren't from some traumatic experience long ago.

Danielle's appearance had Caspar doing a double take. There was a brace on her knee over her red jeans and he could her ankle was wrapped even if it was in a shoe. She refused to put pressure on her leg entirely. This wasn't right. Danielle healed from anything quickly enough that braces and bandages weren't needed over half the time. Caspar looked behind her, seeing crutches denting the small layer of snow. Looking at Danielle closely, Caspar tried to piece it together. What happened to his leader? She still looked the same even with her own blue eyes red, tear tracks, and a smile taking over her face.

"Dani," Caspar whispered, not knowing how to form the sentence so he just waved his arms at the crutches.

"I was captured by Skulker who stabbed me in the leg, was taken to Vlad, and escaped. But my ghost half is cut off, though I _am_ making progress in getting it fully back, but it's taking a while," Dannielle explained in a rush, cringing a little as she shifted around. "Soon enough the wounds will be healed and I won't need the crutches anymore."

"Show him the new ability," Nevidebla chimed in, boucning happily. Caspar was tempted to ask if she had taken her meds today. It was obvious she _hadn't_ , but it was still somewhat polite to at least ask.

Danielle lifted up her hand, creating a low-powered ecto-blast. Caspar gave her a look, not very impressed. Danielle smirked, jerking her head back at her hand. Caspar looked down, seeing the green blast forming into green flames, wrapping around Danielle's fingers. Caspar almost jumped to his feet if he didn't know how painful that'd be to him. Danielle smirked again, the fire cooling and congealing into a bright green liquid before it lifted up into the air, casting a soft green glow over the four of them.

"That's ... new," Caspar stated.

"It's a form of ecto-manipulation," Danielle explained easily. "I'll have to ask Clockwork, Frostbite, Pandora, and Danny about it when the mission's done."

"I've been trying to tell her not every ghost would be able to do such a thing," Nevidebla complained loudly. Caspar looked over at Michi who rolled his eyes exasperatedly. Apparently the argument had been happening for a while and he was getting sick of it. "Ectoplasm, in its natural form, is liquid. A liquid can, with the right temperature and pressure, become gaseous or solid. We've tested this out and Dani _can_ do such things. But that doesn't explain the fire. To create the ecto-fire, she literally has to make ectoplasm form into a light and heat source. There is no matter when it comes to fire. Ectoplasm has matter. Somehow, she has enough willpower to demand that the ectoplasm tear the structural balance and reform itself so it creates this fire _subconsciously_."

"It would make sense, though," Caspar intervened with a nod. "Going off of your description and what Michi's told us about firebenders, this ecto-fire could easily be more energy-source than ectoplasmic-source."

"Are you saying I'm putting more energy into maintaining the ecto-fire than I need to create anything else with my ecto-manipulation?" Danielle asked.

"Yes, because like what Nevi said, fire is a heat source and heat is energy," Caspar explained. "To create the fire, you put more energy into it than ectoplasm, causing the chemical structure to change enough that instead of heated plasma, it's actual fire tinted green because the starter is ectoplasm but the fuel source is your actual energy."

"That's why you easily tire after using the ecto-fire!" Nevidebla exclaimed, eyes glittering with connections. "It's eating up all the ATP in your body, also reasoning on why your muscles are more sore than when we do the physical exercises and why you need to eat so much after using the ability after a long duration of time."

"Great," Danielle grumbled sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "At least I know now that the ecto-fire should be minimal and worse-case-scenario worthy."

Caspar opened his mouth to pursue the topic more but the flashing lights of their stopwatches stopped him. All four stood up, Caspar's feet complaining and his leg burning. Nevidebla seemed to sense his discomfort, standing next to him and forcing the redhead to swing an arm around her shoulders. Caspar sighed but did so as he opened a portal for the four of them. Danielle hobbled through after collecting her crutches, Michi following after her, and Caspar clinging onto Nevidebla after them.

The portal was cool and didn't make Caspar feel dizzy. He knew which way was up and which way was down. Taht was all that mattered. When the portal opened, they stepped into the observation room of the Tower, Clockwork floating over to them in his ever-changing form. At the moment, he was a hunched over old ghost with a long, white beard. His eyes were serious and held great lengths of worry, but also pride in them.

"Good job, my apprentices," Clockwork praised as he shifted into a tiny toddler. "That was not an easy job."

"Thank you," they chorused in tandem. Clockwork's eyes racked over Danielle and Caspar, noting their injuries immediately. His gaze contorted into something apprehensive and conflicted as he shifted into his middle-aged self.

"Something, however, has come up, and it is most grievous we must act immediately despite the wounds," Clockwork sighed heavily, waving his hand over one of the observation clocks. It flickered and swirled before righting itelf to a moment in time in the Ghost Zone where the ectoplasm was darker and more vicious-looking. What was worse was the vortex ripping through it, swirling with even darker hues of green and black than the area around it. "Danielle, you know this area."

"That's the vortex connecting the world we just came from and Nevidebla's," Danielle stated immediately, her eyebrows clinching together. "It's what injured me when I was returning to that world after Skulker abducted me."

Caspar shuddered, staring at Danielle. He could make out faint bruises and wondered how bad it had been and how long she had time to heal. No one had really given him a date of when Danielle returned. Or maybe Danielle didn't even know how long she had been out of consciousness if the pain was bad enough to do such a thing.

"Where, exactly, in the Ghost Zone is it located?" Caspar asked.

"The Nightmare Sector," Danielle answered instantly, shuddering. Caspar knew Michi and Nevidebla were just as confused as he was. "Clockwork ... what does this have to do with anything?"

"The vortex has small, indistinguishable pockets within it, leading to other worlds," Clockwork explained. "They open briefly and only allow one object to fall into it." Here, Clockwork stopped to commpose himself for some reason. "The Nightmare Sector is called that for it houses personalized prisons for ghosts and beings far worse than Pariah Dark could ever wish to be. They are far more ancient—nearly as old as me—and lived longer than Pariah. The only reason they were able to be locked away in the first place was the Ghost Zone had a king when they were, and that king was Pariah."

"Are you saying Pariah was good before something happened?" Nevidebla asked.

"Yes," Clockwork sighed, looking almost sad. "He was a good friend of mine long ago and, maybe if things had been different, I'd have made him one of my own apprentices and he'd be working alongside you all." Caspar didn't know how to feel about that. "But at the time, he had been better suited for ruling the Ghost Zone. For centuries, he came to me for advice on how to rule in the more complicated circumstances. Something happened to change him. It might have been his core shifting and changing so rapidly I could not detect it until it was too late. That was when we had to plot his downfall and began the construction of the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. From then on, the Ghost Zone has never been what it once was."

"And Danny can do that?" Danielle asked. Caspar knitted his eyebrows together, confused, but decided to just go along with it. His friends would tell him later, he was sure of it.

"He can and he will," Clockwork answered reassuringly. "But his reign will cease before it has begun if we do not recollect these prisons from these dimensions and, if we must, imprison the escapees in different prisons."

Caspar looked at his friends, seeing the determined looks reflected in there just like his own. He turned his head and nodded at Danielle. She lifted her chin up and turned to Clockwork, blue meeting red.

"Where do we begin?"


	18. Final Author's Note

**Final Author's Note**

 **Reviews:**

 **lumigo akvo9504: You're welcome. I hope you stay around for the second story.**

 **The second story should be up within the next few days. Look for it under the Harry Potter/Danny Phantom crossover section because, honestly, why wouldn't I do a Harry Potter crossover with this? The title will be called _Discord on the Loose_. Just keep an eye out for it.**


End file.
